President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of December 2 at the Presidential Office met with France's France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman François Brottes and members of his delegation. The president expressed a warm welcome to the group on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma said the France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group has been founded for many years and it has made a considerable contribution to promoting ties between Taiwan and France. The president expressed his hope that the visitors will take advantage of this trip to Taiwan to gain a deep understanding of local issues and affairs, which will benefit the friendship group in its work.
President Ma also commented that since taking office, he has strived to strengthen relations with Europe, hoping to bolster bilateral relations from the standpoint of organizations, systems and activities. The president specifically pointed out that he is confident that the improvement in relations between the ROC (Taiwan) and Mainland China will help bring closer ties between Taiwan and Europe.
The president also expressed his appreciation for the European Union's support of various motions raised regarding Taiwan in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as well as its support for meaningful participation of Taiwan in activities held by UN-affiliated organizations. President Ma said that interaction between Taiwan and France is both frequent and smooth. In addition to traditional areas of interaction, the president specifically noted that Taiwan is interested in learning about France's experience with regards to nuclear power. He noted that nuclear power accounts for 78% of power generated in France and that France is extremely advanced in the treatment of nuclear waste.
The president said that from a broad standpoint the ROC (Taiwan) has adopted appropriate diplomatic strategies. In addition to making every effort to improve relations with Mainland China, the government here is adopting a more flexible attitude that is enabling Taiwan to participate in more international activities, he said. We hope that the world knows that we are a peacemaker rather than troublemaker, President Ma said.
Chairman Brottes expressed his gratitude on behalf of the delegation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with them. He said that the government's warm reception has left a deep impression on them. Chairman Brottes and President Ma also exchanged opinions on matters of mutual concern.
The delegation from the France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group included Chairman Brottes, Vice Chairman Françoise Olivier-Coupeau, National Assembly of France Vice President Rudy Salles, and Member of Parliament Pascale Got. The group was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin and French Institute in Taipei Director General Patrick Bonneville to meet President Ma. Also in attendance was National Security Advisor Mignonne M. J. Chan.