President Chen Shui-bian on February 5 met with Republic of Nauru President Ludwig Scotty and his wife. President Chen, on behalf of the ROC (Taiwan) government and the 23 million people of Taiwan, expressed a warm welcome as well as his sincerest gratitude to President Scotty. The two leaders exchanged opinions on cooperative projects and the further development of friendly relations between the two countries.
President Chen expressed his appreciation to President Scotty for personally attending the First Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit held last year in Palau, adding that President Scotty's attendance helped make the gathering all the more successful. After the summit, President Chen proceeded to visit Nauru on a one-day state visit. President Chen said the time spent in Nauru left a deep impression on him. In addition to being the first head of state to step onto lovely Nauru, President Chen had the opportunity to observe first hand construction projects and progress made in Nauru. He added that he was deeply moved and honored by the warm welcome he received from the people there.
President Chen said he welcomes Nauru's preparations to establish an embassy in the ROC (Taiwan), adding that this is part of the consensus and agreements initially reached between the two nations. He said the establishment of an embassy here will help to further develop and solidify friendly bilateral relations between the two countries. President Chen was delighted to learn that President Scotty is concurrently serving as Labor Minister of Nauru, adding that President Scotty and Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs Minister Lee Ying-yuan will jointly sign a memorandum on labor cooperation between the two nations. This is expected to pave the way in the future for laborers from Nauru to work in Taiwan.
President Chen said that cooperative projects between the two countries are progressing smoothly, citing renovation of a port mooring system in Nauru as well as the establishment of Our Airline. The president added that Taiwan has had the good fortune of providing support for and participating in many basic infrastructure projects in Nauru. A Taiwan technical mission stationed in Nauru has made significant efforts in providing assistance in the areas of farming and fishing. President Chen said he believes that President Scotty and the people of Nauru can sense the concern and efforts of the 23 million people of Taiwan, adding he hopes that this work will increase the wellbeing of the people of Nauru.
President Scotty and his wife are on a five-day private visit to Taiwan. In the morning, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chang Siao-yue, and ROC Ambassador to the Republic Nauru, King Y. Yu, accompanied the couple to the Presidential Building to meet with President Chen. Presidential Secretary-General Mark Chen was also in attendance.