President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of September 19 at the Presidential Office met with the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Vice-president Mr. Janusz Onyszkiewicz. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to Mr. Onyszkiewicz on his visit to Taiwan.
President Ma said relations between the ROC and Europe have continually grown and improved over the past several years. The president particularly noted that in 2005 the European Union (EU) had originally planned to lift a ban on the sale of arms by its members to Mainland China. After mainland China passed the Anti-separation Law, however, EU countries changed their attitude and decided to maintain the ban. This demonstrated the staunch support for Taiwan by EU members, he said, for which the president said he wanted to express his deepest appreciation.
In mentioning the topic of Taiwan applying for observer status in the World Health Assembly (WHA), President Ma said that this is not simply a political issue, but rather a situation that involves human rights. President Ma said that Taiwan is keenly aware of the importance of being able to obtain information and seek the assistance of international health agencies during the period of an outbreak of an epidemic. He said the SARS epidemic that swept through Taiwan highlighted the importance of being part of the international health community and a link in the effort to reduce the spread of disease. The president said that the world must pay attention to, rather than ignore, the health rights of the people of Taiwan. The European Parliament has long expressed its strong support for Taiwan to be accepted as an observer in the WHA and it has spoken on behalf of Taiwan in many international forums, the president said. The government and people here are deeply grateful for this assistance, he said. President Ma added that he hopes the European Parliament will continue to support Taiwan and contribute to fostering bilateral relations.
Foreign Affairs Committee Vice-president Onyszkiewicz thanked President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He stressed that Taiwan is an important partner of the European Parliament in many areas, adding that Taiwan has many friends in Europe. He expressed his desire to see substantive and friendly relations between the two to continue to be strengthened based on the existing foundation.