President Ma Ying-jeou met with Republic of Paraguay Foreign Minister Héctor Lacognata at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of April 13. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to Foreign Minister Lacognata on his visit to Taiwan.
The president noted that the ROC and Paraguay have maintained diplomatic relations for many decades and that the alliance between the two is extremely stable. Bilateral cooperation covers a range of fields, including agriculture, industry, military, medicine, society, economic relations, and trade, he said.
President Ma commented that Foreign Minister Lacognata was trained as a pediatrician and previously served as a parliamentarian in Paraguay as well as a representative to international organizations. He has much experience in politics and has a strong reputation in Paraguay, the president said. In addition, he has been entrusted with important responsibility by Paraguay President Fernando Lugo. Meanwhile, the president said that Foreign Minister Lacognata has actively promoted the relationship between the ROC and Paraguay since assuming his post. Last year in early August after Taiwan suffered severe flooding and landslides due to a typhoon, Foreign Minister Lacognata immediately expressed his concern about the situation. President Ma reiterated his deepest gratitude in this respect.
The president stated that he led a delegation to Paraguay in August 2008 to attend the inauguration ceremonies for President Lugo, and at that time witnessed the unity of the Paraguayan people under the leadership of President Lugo. In recent years, President Lugo's efforts to build an outstanding state have helped to lead to progress in many fields in Paraguay, and the results are clear for all to see, he said.
President Ma furthermore said that when the two leaders met at that time, he expressed to President Lugo his hopes that relations between the two countries would continue to move forward. President Ma also explained to his counterpart that the ROC's efforts to improve relations with mainland China have been made primarily with the aim of reducing tension in the Taiwan Strait and promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation. But this sort of warming with mainland China will in no way impact the ROC's longstanding friendship with Paraguay.
President Ma said that the ROC and Paraguay have a shared commitment to democracy, freedom, and prosperity. In the future, he said, the alliance between the two countries will become even stronger. The president also told Foreign Minister Lacognata that he sincerely hopes President Lugo will visit Taiwan.
Foreign Minister Lacognata said that the main objective of this trip to Taiwan is to exchange opinions with counterparts here on bilateral cooperation. He reiterated that the alliance between Paraguay and the ROC remains extremely strong, adding that without a doubt Paraguay is the ROC's staunchest ally in Latin America. He also passed along President Lugo's best wishes.
Foreign Minister Lacognata was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the afternoon by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang. Also attending the meeting with the president was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ho Szu-yin.