President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of March 25 with St. Lucia Governor General Dame Dr. Calliopa Pearlette Louisy, and extended a cordial welcome to her on behalf of the government and people of the ROC on her visit to Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that the ROC and St. Lucia restored diplomatic relations in 2007 and Prime Minister Stephenson King led a delegation to Taiwan in 2009. Last year, the ROC's Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang headed a group to St. Lucia to discuss cooperation projects and other ties, and the frequent visits point to a stable alliance between the two countries. President Ma remarked that the two countries have close ties, and have achieved great success in cooperation projects, including the building of a hospital in St. Lucia. St. Lucia, for its part, has long supported the ROC's participation in the international community. Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Allen M. Chastanet, for example, spoke on behalf of Taiwan last year in Canada, advocating the ROC's participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization. President Ma expressed his appreciation for this.
The president commented that while St. Lucia has a population of only 170,000, it has produced two Nobel laureates, which puts it among the world's top nations in Nobel Prize winners per population. Governor General Louisy is an expert in the field of education and is highly respected by the public and all political parties in St. Lucia, the president said.
President Ma stated that Governor General Louisy previously visited Taiwan in 1996, the year in which the ROC held its first direct presidential election. In the 15 years since, he said, Taiwan has continued to progress and develop, and has become a fully democratic nation. The ROC and St. Lucia both embrace the core values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law, and the president expressed the hope that Governor General Louisy will have an opportunity during her stay to see the progress made here, which will help to foster increased mutual understanding.
Governor General Louisy was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang to meet with President Ma.