President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of June 14 with Hena Ligia Madrid Lizardo de Torres, interim president of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN). The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to the interim president on her visit to Taiwan.
The president first expressed his appreciation to PARLACEN for speaking on behalf of the ROC on many occasions in international venues to support greater participation for Taiwan in the international arena. For instance, on June 30, 2010, the Central American Integration System's Technical Committee on Climate Change passed a resolution supporting Taiwan's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition, the president also noted that earlier this month PARLACEN approved a resolution congratulating the ROC on its centenary. Both of these gestures demonstrate the deep bond and friendship between PARLACEN and the ROC, the president said.
President Ma remarked that while the ROC and Latin America are geographically far apart, various systems have helped to bridge this distance and foster close relations. The president noted that the ROC's Legislative Yuan 12 years ago became a permanent observer at PARLACEN, and he himself has personally visited PARLACEN member states many times, coming away with a wonderful impression of the region. The ROC, he said, is pleased to strengthen interaction between the two sides and expand the existing cooperative relationship.
The president commented that the ROC has faced many challenges in recent years, including the financial tsunami, devastating flooding, and outbreaks of disease. While the economy has yet to return entirely to the level seen prior to the financial tsunami, the ROC remains committed to cooperation with its friends and allies in Central America, he remarked, adding that the government will maintain existing cooperation projects. The president also expressed his hope that the guests will meet with people from many sectors during this visit to better their understanding of Taiwan and further strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two sides.
The visiting delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) to meet President Ma. Also sitting in on the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷).