President Ma Ying-jeou started his official visits on the morning of August 14 (on the evening of August 14 Taipei time). He met with Paraguay President Nicanor Duarte Frutos and President-elect Fernando Lugo, respectively, to exchange views on issues regarding bilateral relations and cooperation in the future.
President Ma and select members of his delegation on the morning of August 14 paid a visit to the Paraguay Presidential Building to meet with Paraguay President Nicanor Duarte Frutos. The Paraguay government arranged a welcome that included having President Ma review troops. After the formalities, the two heads of state then held discussions. During the talks, President Ma thanked President Duarte for the contributions he has made in fostering relations between Taiwan and Paraguay. President Ma also explained to President Duarte the development of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since he and his administration have taken office. President Ma also spoke of the "flexible diplomacy" policies that the government has adopted and his standpoint on promoting a diplomatic truce between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He stressed that the Republic of China is a nation that is true to its friends. He guaranteed that even as the ROC pursues a policy promoting a diplomatic truce with Mainland China, efforts will be made to continue to strengthen ROC-Paraguay relations and mutual cooperation will become even closer.
President Duarte stressed to President Ma that no matter what his position he holds in government, he has defended and will continue to defend the alliance between Paraguay and the ROC (Taiwan). He said that this has always been his political standpoint. In the future, he said he will continue to work to foster friendship and cooperation between the two countries in his capacity as a senator. He said that he looks forward to visiting Taiwan in the future in his position as senator and he hopes he will be welcomed by the ROC (Taiwan).
President Ma also paid a visit to President-elect Fernando Lugo. A friendly atmosphere prevailed at the meeting. President Ma said that the purpose of his visit to Paraguay is to attend the inauguration of President-elect Lugo and to represent the government and people of the ROC in congratulating him. He also pledged to President-elect Lugo that relations between Taiwan and Paraguay will continue to improve and that bilateral cooperation will be expanded.
President-elect Lugo told President Ma that he hopes to pursue even broader relations between the two countries. He said that he admires and welcomes the diplomatic truce between the ROC and Mainland China as proposed by President Ma. He said that President Ma is pursuing the correct direction. President-elect Lugo added that he hopes to establish an honest and efficient government.
President Ma responded by saying that he is deeply moved by President-elect Lugo's goal, since this is exactly the same as his objective for his administration. He said that engaging in discussions with President-elect Lugo was as if he was listening to his own inauguration address. President Ma said that bilateral relations between Taiwan and Paraguay cover a range of areas, including agriculture, fisheries, small- and medium-sized enterprises, high technology, land reform and government capacity building. He said that there are many areas in which both nations can share experiences with the other. President Ma said the ROC is happy to continue to cooperate with Paraguay.
Lugo, President Ma led a delegation to lay a wreath at Paraguay's National Heroes' Pantheon. Paraguay Defense Minister Nelson Mora accompanied President Ma. After President Ma laid the wreath and paid his respects, he signed the guest book as the President of the Republic of China and wrote: "I pay my deepest respect to the brave heroes who have given their lives for the Republic of Paraguay." After leaving the memorial, President Ma made a visit to the ROC embassy in Paraguay to thank the staff there for their efforts and to encourage them in their work. He also took a photograph with them before leaving.
At noon, President Ma held a luncheon for overseas compatriot representatives at his hotel. In addition to thanking them for the support they have provided to the ROC government, he also explained to them the state of bilateral cooperative relations between the ROC and Paraguay, as well as the development of cross-strait relations. He said he hopes they will continue to work for the interest of the ROC.
In the afternoon, President Ma at his hotel met with Chairman of the Canada -Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group Jim Abbott and Mrs. Abbott, who are representing the Canadian government at the inauguration of President-elect Lugo. The two exchanged opinions on a wide range of issues, including Taiwan-Canada relations, cross-strait issues and international children's welfare. President Ma specially expressed his gratitude to the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group and Chairman Abbott for providing support and friendship to the ROC for many years. After this meeting, President Ma then was interviewed by several local newspapers and the Reuters news agency. He also held a press conference, detailing to the press corps traveling with him his views of the trip so far. He also responded to questions posed by members of the media. In the evening, President Ma attended a state dinner hosted by President Duarte.