The new Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the Republic of China, Rafaela Alburquerque de González , presented her credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou on July 25.
The ceremony was held at 9:30 a.m. at the Presidential Office. Ambassador Alburquerque was accompanied by Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Protocol José María Liu (劉德立), while Presidential Secretary-General Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) were among those in attendance to witness the proceedings.
After Ambassador Alburquerque offered her credentials, President Ma extended a warm welcome to her on behalf of the government and people of the ROC. The president remarked that the ROC and the Dominican Republic established diplomatic relations in 1944 , and the alliance between the two countries has now spanned over six decades. President Ma noted that he has twice visited the Dominican Republic and that he has been deeply impressed by the leadership abilities and diligence of President Leonel Fernández , and by his willingness to come to the assistance of its friends and allies. In particular, the president stated that last year he, President Fernández and then Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive met in the Dominican Republic to discuss how to best aid Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake there. President Fernández, he said, showed himself to be a leader in the region by his impressive performance. President Ma also stated that when President Fernández visited Taiwan in 1999, he personally visited and consoled victims in the areas worst hit by the September 21, 1999 earthquake, a gesture President Ma said that the people of the ROC will always remember.
President Ma commented that Ambassador Alburquerque has a strong background in judicial, administrative, and foreign affairs. She previously served as a judge, a parliamentarian, the speaker of the Dominican Republic's Chamber of Deputies , Consul General in Hamburg and Antwerp, and in the position of rotating chairperson of the Forum of Speakers of the Legislative Bodies of Central American and Caribbean Basin. Ambassador Alburquerque has an outstanding reputation, he said, adding that she previously led a delegation to Taiwan in 2002 and has long worked to promote the development of relations between the two nations. President Ma expressed his hopes that Ambassador Alburquerque will be able to further strengthen the bilateral alliance during her tenure here.
Ambassador Alburquerque forwarded greetings from President Fernández to President Ma and expressed her deepest appreciation for the assistance provided by the ROC to her nation over the years. She stressed that she will continue to work to forge stronger bilateral ties in the future in order to create an even closer friendship between the two countries.