President Ma Ying-jeou and Vice President Vincent C. Siew on the afternoon of May 21 at the Presidential Office met with Republic of Kiribati President Anote Tong and Mrs. Tong, Republic of El Salvador President Elías Antonio Saca and Mrs. Saca, and Republic of Honduras President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales. In addition to extending a warm welcome to the visitors on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), President Ma thanked the three visiting leaders for promoting bilateral alliances and making contributions to cooperative relations.
In the meeting with President Tong, President Ma said that Kiribati and Taiwan enjoy extremely close and friendly relations. President Tong last year was elected to the presidency and this year has made a special effort to once again visit Taiwan, this time for the presidential and vice presidential inauguration. President Ma thanked President Tong for this. The president also said that Taiwan is extremely happy to be gradually moving down the road to becoming a mature democracy. This was one of the points he stressed in his inauguration address, he said. President Ma said he hopes that this visit by President Tong will usher in broader cooperative relations between the two countries. While Taiwan and Kiribati are geographically far from each other, the two nations have a close emotional attachment. President Ma noted that President Tong has Chinese blood and this is one reason why he will sense a special warmth on his visit to Taiwan. President Ma also said he hopes this trip will offer an opportunity for both countries to pursue cooperation in even more areas.
President Tong once again extended his congratulations to President Ma and Vice President Siew. He lauded Taiwan's successful experience in democratic development. President Tong said this is his fourth visit to Taiwan since 1982. He expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and assistance he has received from the government here on each visit.
During his talks with El Salvador President Saca, President Ma said he is delighted that President Saca has been able to attend the inauguration ceremonies, especially given the longstanding deep friendship and cooperative relationship between the two countries. A free trade agreement between the two countries took effect on March 1. President Ma said he believes this marks an important milestone in relations between the two countries, adding that he hopes the free trade agreement is able to strengthen the bilateral trade relationship. President Ma expressed his gratitude to El Salvador for its staunch support for the ROC (Taiwan) over the years. Even though President Saca's term as president will expire next year, he will always be Taiwan's best friend whether or not he is in office. President Ma said that President Saca is welcome to visit Taiwan at any time.
President Saca extended his deepest congratulations on behalf of the government and people of El Salvador to President Ma on his inauguration. He also expressed his appreciation for the courtesies and warm reception provided to him. The president said he and the delegation he is leading are honored by the warmth and hospitality of the Taiwan people. President Saca said that a president shoulders heavy responsibilities. He offered his best wishes for a smooth and successful term in office for President Ma, as well as an even stronger and friendlier alliance between the two countries.
In his meeting with Honduras President Zelaya, President Ma expressed his pleasure that President Zelaya was able to personally lead a delegation from his nation to attend the inauguration. He said this demonstrates the friendship and solid ties between the two countries. President Ma said he called President Zelaya in March and is reiterating his guarantee that there will be no changes made to existing cooperation projects between the two countries. President Ma said that the call to President Zelaya was the first one to the head of state of a diplomatic ally after he was elected president. President Ma stressed that he mentioned during his inauguration address that he not only wants to strengthen relations with Taiwan's diplomatic allies, but also wants to seek further opportunities for cooperation. He said he hopes President Zelaya has a pleasant stay during his visit to Taiwan.
President Zelaya said President Ma's inauguration address on May 20 was extremely incisive and coherent. He said he has a long friendship with the ROC (Taiwan) and the Taiwan people, noting that this is his fourth visit to Taiwan. He noted that his first visit to the island was back when he was a legislator. This was during the presidency of Lee Teng-hui. Since then, he has made one visit as a minister and two visits as president. President Zelaya said he has seen with his own eyes the progress and economic prowess achieved by Taiwan over the past two decades, saying that Taiwan serves as a model for countries throughout the world. He added that in the future Honduras will seek to maintain and strengthen bilateral economic and trade ties, as well as the friendship and alliance between the two countries.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco H. L. Ou attended the meeting between Kiribati President Tong and President Ma and Vice President Siew. El Salvador Minister of Foreign Affairs Marisol Argueta de Barilas and El Salvador Ambassador to the ROC (Taiwan) Francisco Ricardo Santana Berrios accompanied President Saca in the meeting with President Ma and Vice President Siew. Honduras Ambassador to the ROC Marlene Villela-Talbott accompanied President Zelaya to the Presidential Office to meet with President Ma and Vice President Siew. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ou also was present for both of those meetings.