President Ma Ying-jeou met with El Salvador’s Defense Minister General David Munguía Payés and Mrs. Munguía at the Presidential Office on the morning of October 26. The president extended a warm welcome to the visitors and expressed his hopes for an even closer alliance and cooperative relationship in the future.
President Ma commented that the ROC and El Salvador have long maintained a close and friendly relationship, having exchanged envoys in 1941 and formally established embassies in 1961. The president noted that last year he attended the inauguration of President Mauricio Funes and engaged in pleasant discussions with his counterpart during the visit, adding that he also took advantage of the opportunity to attend the inauguration of a new National Assembly building that was donated by the ROC. President Ma remarked that bilateral trade has grown significantly since the signing of a free trade agreement between the two nations in 2007. Meanwhile, the defense ministries of both countries maintain close cooperation, he said. Cadets from military academies of each nation can be spotted in the other on exchange programs, demonstrating effective interaction between the two sides and pointing to a stable alliance, he said.
President Ma, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed his appreciation to El Salvador for speaking in support of the ROC in the international arena. He also noted the generous support by El Salvador that has played a role in Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly each of the past two years and ability to become a party to the Agreement on Government Procurement. He furthermore said he hopes El Salvador will continue to support the ROC in its efforts to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. President Ma said he expects that this visit to Taiwan will enable Defense Minister Munguía to have a better understanding of the ROC's defense infrastructure and of Taiwan in general, thereby fostering bilateral interaction and cooperative relations.
Defense Minister Munguía and Mrs. Munguía were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by ROC Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu and El Salvador Ambassador to the ROC Marta Chang de Tsien and Mr. Tsien to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu.