President Chen Shui-bian on July 20 met with a visiting delegation of parliamentarians from the Republic of Suriname.
The president said that despite facing a number of challenges and pressure on many fronts, the delegation was able to arrive in Taiwan as planned. He said this marks a milestone in the history between the two countries and symbolizes an important step forward in the improvement of relations between Taiwan and Suriname. President Chen said that the deputy speaker of Suriname's parliament originally intended to lead the delegation to Taiwan, but he ultimately had to cancel due to strong pressure from China. Nonetheless, the president said, the rest of the delegation was still able to make it, representing the amicable attitude towards Taiwan by Suriname's parliament. The president also asked the group to forward his gratitude and best wishes to the speaker and deputy speaker of parliament, adding that he hopes there will be an opportunity in the future to invite them to visit Taiwan.
President Chen expressed his gratitude to the Suriname-Taiwan Friendship Foundation for using the press and television to introduce Taiwan to the people of Suriname, enabling the public there to have a better understanding and a good impression of Taiwan. The president said the visiting delegation now has the opportunity to see for itself Taiwan's advances in development. He said he hopes Taiwan and Suriname will build a strongest cooperative relationship that will enable Taiwan to assist Suriname in infrastructure projects and share Taiwan's development experiences. The president also pointed to strengthening agricultural cooperation as a means to raise agricultural output in Suriname. Other areas of cooperation in the future could include having Taiwan provide assistance to Suriname in reducing the digital gap and in creating information technology education and training centers, he said.
President Chen noted that next month he will travel to Honduras to attend the Sixth Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Central America, and the Dominican Republic. During his trip to the region, he will visit Taiwan's newest diplomatic ally St. Lucia. He hopes Taiwan will develop closer ties with Suriname in the future.
The delegation visiting Taiwan includes Mr. Hendrik Sakimin, the leader of the group, Mr. Henk Deel, Mr. Theodorus Vishnudatt and Mr. Mohamed Doekhie.