President Chen Shui-bian on the afternoon of February 19 met with the Republic of the Marshall Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs Tony deBrum at the Presidential Office. On behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), President Chen extended a warm welcome and appreciation to Foreign Minister deBrum for making the visit to Taiwan.
President Chen first extended his congratulations to the United People's Party for its victory in the January 7 presidential election in the Marshall Islands and its formation of a new government. The president said that he personally called President Litokwa Tomeing on January 9 to offer his congratulations. He also charged Taiwan's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Elizabeth Y. F. Chu to lead a delegation to participate in the inauguration ceremonies for President Tomeing. Most recently, President Chen also asked Vice President Annette Lu to serve as his envoy and represent the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan) in visiting the Marshall Islands.
President Chen said that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Marshall Islands. When formal diplomatic ties were established on November 21, 1998, Foreign Minister deBrum was the then Minister of Finance, and he played an important role behind the scenes in paving the way for the two countries to establish ties. Foreign Minister deBrum personally attended the ceremonies marking the establishment of diplomatic ties. At the time, the AKA was the ruling party in the Marshall Islands. The AKA was the forerunner to the current ruling United People's Party. The long relationship maintained between the party and Taiwan is something that Taiwan cherishes and appreciates, he said. The president said that the party and Foreign Minister deBrum were both instrumental in the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. President Chen said he hopes that the two nations will continue to bolster their relationship based on the strong foundation that already exists between the two.
President Chen noted that he first led a delegation on a visit to the Marshall Islands in May 2005, making him the first president of the ROC (Taiwan) to step foot on the soil of that nation. At the time, he invited the then Parliament Speaker Tomeing to visit Taiwan. The speaker shortly afterwards visited Taiwan. On January 9 when he called President Tomeing to offer him his congratulations, he again invited him to come to Taiwan for a state visit. President Chen said he appreciates the efforts made by Vice President Lu on her recent visit to the Marshall Islands in helping to set a date for President Tomeing's visit. In addition to welcoming the news of President Tomeing's planned trip here, the president said he looks forward to personally meeting with him again next month.
President Chen also mentioned that he is proud to have visited the Marshall Islands twice during his presidency. In addition to his trip in May 2005, the president also traveled to Majuro in October of last year to attend the Second Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit. He said the Marshall Islands government demonstrated a high level of administrative efficiency in hosting the event. The summit was an enormous success and the Majuro Declaration was issued at the meeting. The summit was held at the Majuro International Conference Center, which was built with assistance from the Taiwan government and people. President Chen said he was pleased to see the completion of the facility and its inauguration, and also said he appreciated the warm welcome from the government and people of the Marshall Islands.
Foreign Minister deBrum said the Marshall Islands is extremely grateful for all that the government and people of Taiwan have done for his nation. He said it would take a whole afternoon to list everything that Taiwan has done for the Marshall Islands since the AKA signed an agreement with Taiwan establishing formal diplomatic ties. Foreign Minister deBrum also said the relationship between the two countries transcends that of party politics. The relationship between the people of the two nations is like that of a family, he said. Foreign Minister deBrum added that the Marshall Islands has continuously supported Taiwan's claim to sovereignty, especially given the experience of his own nation in struggling and fighting for its independence.