President Ma Ying-jeou met with Republic of Paraguay Chamber of Deputies Speaker Enrique Salyn Buzarquis Cáceres on the morning of February 20 at the Presidential Office, where he cordially welcomed Speaker Buzarquis to Taiwan.
The president commented that Speaker Buzarquis is a youthful member of Paraguay's ruling administration. He has an outstanding academic background and is well-liked by the people of Paraguay, the president said. President Ma added that Speaker Buzarquis has long been a staunch supporter of and friend to Taiwan.
President Ma also said the ROC (Taiwan) and Paraguay have maintained close cooperation for many years in the areas of economy, agriculture and military affairs. Even though Paraguay last year saw a change in its ruling party for the first time in 60 years, bilateral friendship and cooperative relations will not change, he said. The president said that when he visited Paraguay last August to attend the inauguration of Fernando Lugo as president, he told his counterpart that the ROC (Taiwan) will continue to carry out existing cooperation projects, and that various projects may be extended or expanded. At the same time, he explained to President Lugo that Taiwan and mainland China planned to end the contentious situation in which each has sought to woo the other's diplomatic allies. Instead, both sides would pursue cooperation in the international community and would demonstrate mutual respect. President Lugo wholeheartedly agreed with this stance, President Ma said.
Speaker Buzarquis expressed his appreciation to President Ma for meeting with him, and he noted that the alliance between Taiwan and Paraguay has lasted for 60 years. Regardless of the changes in the bigger picture over the years, the ROC government has continued to promote a variety of cooperation projects with Paraguay, communicating clearly to the people of Paraguay the deep sincerity of Taiwan in its friendship, he said. Speaker Buzarquis added that this has helped to cement a fondness among the people of each nation for the other, further promoting this alliance among brothers.