President Lee Teng-hui this morning presided over a welcome ceremony in honor of Chad President Idriss Deby and his delegation.
The ceremony was held at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall complex in downtown Taipei. After a 21-gun salute to President Deby and the playing of the national anthems of the Republic of Chad and the Republic of China, the two presidents reviewed the guard of honor and then gave speeches respectively .
On behalf of the ROC government and people,President Lee firstly welcomed President Deby, saying that his visit is earnestly expected since the re-establishment of diplomatic ties on August 12 this year.
President Lee lauded President Deby as a prominent statesman who has led Chad to make remarkable progress in democratic reforms and economic developments in recent years. President Deby's visit, which will render the direct exchanges of views on mutual concerns between the two leaders, would help strengthen the ROC-Chad cooperation and upgrade the bilateral relations, he noted.
In his remarks, President Deby said that the Chadian government and people look forward to closer cooperative relations between the two countries. As time goes by, the Chadian people still bear in mind the assistance which the ROC laid out to Chad 25 years ago, President Deby pointed out. He also paid his admiration for the ROC's political and economic achievements.