President Ma Ying-jeou met at the Presidential Office on the morning of November 25 with a delegation of Austrian People's Party parliamentarians, to whom he extended a cordial welcome on behalf of the government and people of the ROC.
The president stated that members of the delegation play an important role in the Austrian Parliament and are longstanding supporters of the ROC. Over the past few years, he said, the members of this delegation have provided considerable assistance in securing an opportunity for Taiwan to attend the World Health Assembly and in improving relations between Taiwan and the European Union (EU).
President Ma remarked that the EU in the coming days will decide whether to grant visa waivers for Taiwan passport holders traveling to the Schengen Area. If the proposal is approved, it will mark a historic diplomatic achievement for the ROC and will help enhance bilateral economic, trade, and cultural ties, he said. The president specially extended his appreciation to members of the delegation for their assistance.
President Ma also expressed hope that the members of the delegation will gain a better understanding of current conditions here during their visit, and pointed out that upcoming local elections will afford an opportunity to get a feel for Taiwan's democratic system. He also stated that while the economy took a downturn over the past couple of years, it is now recovering strongly, with GDP growth over the past three quarters averaging 12%. Taiwan's economic growth this year is forecast to reach 9.98% and the unemployment rate is expected to decline to 4.92% from a high of 6.13%, he said, adding that the economy should post moderate growth in the coming few years. With the economy gaining strength, the ROC would be delighted to expand its economic and trade ties with European nations and put the ties on a more systematic footing.
The president stated that while the ROC and Austria do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, the two sides enjoy close economic, trade, and cultural ties. As Vienna is known as the capital of music, a number of students from Taiwan have gone to that city to study music, he said, adding that he hopes interaction of this sort will continue.
Werner Amon, Deputy Chairman of the Austrian People's Party Parliamentary Club, expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with the delegation, and responded to President Ma's remarks by saying that it is also his desire to see further bilateral interaction in the arts as well as economic and trade relations.
The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Deputy Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu.