President Ma Ying-jeou met with former Irish Foreign Minister James Gerard Collins and Mrs. Collins at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of March 19 and extended a cordial welcome to the couple on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma noted that this marks the seventh visit to Taiwan by Mr. Collins. He is a good friend to Taiwan and an honored guest, the president said. The president stated that Mr. Collins had assisted Taiwan to establish a representative office in Dublin in 1988. In his capacity as Irish foreign minister, member of the European Parliament, and member of the European Parliament's Taiwan Friendship Group, Mr. Collins has also assisted Taiwan on many fronts, the president said, adding that he has made many contributions to the growth of relations between Taiwan and Ireland over the past two decades. In particular, Ireland last year began including visitors from Taiwan in its visa waiver program, setting a precedent in Europe. Subsequently, the European Union has also begun seriously considering the adoption of a similar measure, and the president said he hopes that a satisfactory result will be seen this year.
The president commented that he visited Ireland in February 2006 when he was serving as Taipei City mayor and also in his capacity as chairman of the Kuomintang. He said he got a good sense for Ireland's rapid economic development and harmonious external relations. Political parties in Ireland are able to overcome their differences to jointly promote the nation's development, the president said, adding that this made a deep impression on him. President Ma explained that Taiwan and Ireland have a lot in common, and he believes Ireland's development experience can serve as reference in mapping policies here.
President Ma stressed that even though Mr. Collins is no longer a government official or member of the European Parliament, he still is a consultant for Ireland's main political party. The president added that he is confident that Mr. Collins will be able to help expand relations between Taiwan and Ireland and the European Parliament given his wealth of experience in political circles. The president also mentioned that Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin will soon become Taiwan's representative to the European Union and that he hopes Mr. Collins will provide him assistance in carrying out his duties.
Mr. Collins expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with him. He added that he is delighted to have the opportunity to visit Taiwan again. Mr. Collins commented that just as President Ma noted, Ireland's political parties have indeed worked together to promote national development, and he expressed the view that Taiwan's political parties should also pursue this approach.