President Chen Shui-bian met with Paraguayan Parliamentary Speaker Dr. Carlos Alberto Filizzola and wholeheartedly welcomed and thanked him on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The President said he felt closer to Filizzola after reviewing his curriculum vitae because he found that they have much in common. Frist, Speaker Fizizzola is an exemplary graduate of Asuncion University and Chen divulged that he has an honorary doctorate degree from the same institution. Second, Speaker Filizzola and he have both served as mayors of their respective capital cities. Third, Speaker Filizzola once served as chairman of his political party, the Partido Pais Solidario ,while he has nerved as chairman of the Democratic Progressive party. Fourth, although Speaker Filizzola is the leader of the Chamber of Deputies, yet has been a legislator for five years, having served as convener of the Defense Committee, and party whip for his party caucus. Filizzola will gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan on his visit and be able to have the joy of experiencing Taiwan’s governmental, economic and social establishments.
The President stated that the Taiwan-Paraguay relationship has lasted half a century and he expressed gratitude and esteem for Paraguay’s long-standing friendship, particularly in its support for Taiwan joining the United Nations and the World Health Organization. He said that in the future the two nations can continue to build a stronger, more substantive relationship, particularly now that Taiwan has gained rights to manufacture and operate business at the Ciudad del Este Industrial Zone. The Industrial zone has been renamed Taiwan Industrial Park in Paraguay since then. He believed that in the present environment of friendly relations, more Taiwanese businesses will invest there.
The President said that Paraguayan President Duarte came to Taiwan, in May 2004 with an entourage upon which the two promised to pursue a free trade agreement between the two nations. However, because Paraguay is bound by a common market agreement, it can not make such decisions on its own. The two nations would have to continue to exchange views on the issue in the future and to eventually sign a contractual agreement to advance mutual trade cooperation.
The President said that Taiwan and Paraguay, once authoritarian countries, have now transformed into democratic nations. The two nations can reflect upon their mutual conviction to build a democracy with human rights over the past 50 years and that the two nations can always bind together.