President Chen Shui-bian on February 5 met with Julio Cesar Valentin, President of the House of Representatives of the Dominican Republic. President Chen, on behalf of the ROC (Taiwan) government and the 23 million people of Taiwan, expressed a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to House President Valentin for leading a delegation comprised of ruling and opposition party lawmakers to Taiwan.
President Chen said that the visit by the delegation, comprised of the whips of the ruling and opposition parties as well as House leaders, indicates that support for Taiwan in the Dominican Republic transcends party lines. President Chen also expressed his praise and respect for House President Valentin for declining an invitation to visit China and his refusal to allow Chinese influence to penetrate the House of Representatives.
President Chen said that House President Valentin is the most important political partner for Dominican Republic President Leonel Antonio Fernandez Reyna. He praised House President Valentin's understanding of law, his ability in foreign languages as well as his accessibility, which have won him a high level of respect from members of the House of Representatives. The president said that House President Valentin's popularity was apparent when he served as chairman of the Forum of Speakers of the Legislative Bodies of Central American and Caribbean Basin Countries. President Chen said what left the biggest impression on him was when House President Valentin was invited to visit Taiwan in January 2004 to participate in the First Annual Convention of the International Parliamentary Forum for Asia-Pacific Security. Even though House President Valentin was unable to attend the entire forum, he pushed for the passage of a motion in the Dominican Republic House upon his return, supporting Taiwan's March 2004 Peace Referendum. President Chen said that Taiwan was able to overcome many obstacles to hold its first public referendum, which was an exciting event for the people of Taiwan.
President Chen also expressed his gratitude to the House of Representatives, and in particular to the whips of each political party, for making a motion to support Taiwan's efforts to become an observer in the World Health Assembly. He said that the people of Taiwan were moved by the efforts of the Dominican Republic in helping to defend the human rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan and prevent the people of Taiwan from being isolated in the international community.
President Chen said that Dominican Republic President Fernandez last June paid a state visit to Taiwan and that this was an important event for the government and people of Taiwan. In January of this year, President Chen said he had the good fortune to meet again with President Fernandez when both were in Nicaragua to attend the inauguration of President Jose Daniel Ortega Saavedra. He said the bilateral talks between the two were a success, which he believes will provide the basis for even friendly substantive relations between the two countries.
President Chen stressed that the two countries have been diplomatic allies for over 60 years and the ROC (Taiwan) cherishes the relationship. He said he hopes both countries will continue to use existing friendly ties to work towards creating even greater wellbeing for the people of both nations.