President Ma Ying-jeou and Mrs. Ma's motorcade headed to Guatemala City La Aurora International Airport on the morning of June 1. President and Mrs. Ma were accompanied at the airport by ROC Ambassador to Guatemala Adolfo Sun and Guatemala's Minister of Foreign Affairs Haroldo Rodas. The president and Mrs. Ma waved to the overseas compatriots who had come to see them off, as well as children from the ROC Elementary School and members of the ROC embassy staff. After receiving a salute from Guatemala's color guard, President and Mrs. Ma boarded their plane, which took them to El Salvador, the next country on their itinerary.
After a flight of about 30 minutes, the aircraft carrying President Ma arrived at 9:00 a.m. El Salvador time (11:00 p.m., June 1 Taipei time) at El Salvador International Airport. ROC Ambassador to El Salvador Carlos S. C. Liao and El Salvador Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Cálix, along with a protocol officer, boarded the aircraft and offered a warm greeting to President Ma and Mrs. Ma, after which they were escorted off the plane and onto a dais where they received a salute from the color guard.
After the completion of the ceremony, President and Mrs. Ma headed to the hotel where they were staying and received bouquets of flowers upon their arrival from overseas compatriot representatives. The president and Mrs. Ma also shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with students and teachers from the ROC School, and they also thanked everyone for the warm welcome. President Ma then traveled to El Salvador's Presidential Building where he held discussions with El Salvador President Elías Antonio Saca. After the meeting, the two heads of state took a picture together with the delegation accompanying President Ma on the trip, and they also waved to the journalists covering the event. The two leaders then went to El Salvador's new Ministry of Foreign Affairs building where a ceremony was held to mark the formal opening of the structure. This also symbolized a successful conclusion to a cooperation project between the two countries.
President Ma departed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and headed to a banquet where he had a meal with overseas compatriots. The president expressed his greetings to the crowd in Spanish. He then said that March 15 of this year marked the first transfer of power among political parties in El Salvador in 20 years and the process went smoothly. The president said that many have pointed to El Salvador as a model among emerging democratic nations. The president also expressed his admiration of President Saca. He pointed out that the two opposing parties in El Salvador's most recent presidential election fought against each other during El Salvador's previous civil war. Seventeen years later, however, the insurgents of yesteryear have obtained power in a democratic and peaceful manner, which highlights the value of democratic politics.
The president also remarked that a while earlier he was at the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs building for a ceremony to inaugurate the new structure. At that time, President Saca specially mentioned that five years ago on this day, former ROC Vice President Annette Lu stood at the site and presided over the groundbreaking ceremony. Five years later, a president from the Kuomintang party is attending the inauguration of the building. The president said he believes this shows that regardless of the party in power in Taiwan, the strong bond between the ROC and El Salvador will not change. President Ma also noted that President Saca previously spoke on behalf of the ROC on three occasions at UN-affiliated conferences and that he is one of the staunchest supporters of Taiwan. This is something that the people of Taiwan will not forget, he said. President Ma commented that on May 18 ROC Minister of Health Yeh Ching-chuan attended the World Health Assembly, marking the first time in 38 years since the ROC lost its seat in the United Nations that the nation has participated in a UN-affiliated activity. This also is the culmination of 12 years of efforts by Taiwan, he said, adding that the people of Taiwan and overseas compatriots are both delighted by this development. President Ma remarked that he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to specially thank all of the ROC's friends and allies, including President Saca, for their resolute support.
President Ma also said that President Saca hopes that Taiwan's support for his nation will not be altered by the change of power in El Salvador. President Saca, he said, specially mentioned his hopes that the ROC will continue to support President-elect Mauricio Funes. President Ma said he told President Saca to rest assured, as the two countries both embrace the principle of democracy and Taiwan will without a doubt continue to strongly support El Salvador and its people. In fact, the ROC hopes that relations between the two nations will strengthen further in the future, he said.
Lastly, President Ma also expressed his appreciation to the overseas compatriots for their firm support of the ROC. He said he hopes they will return to Taiwan for a visit when they have the opportunity.