President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of October 5 with former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus. Besides praising the former president for his outstanding accomplishments in leading Lithuania in the pursuit of freedom and democracy, President Ma expressed his hope that this visit to Taiwan will be helpful in boosting friendship between the two countries and generating a closer cooperative relationship.
The president stated that former President Adamkus has throughout his life pursued freedom and democracy. At age 14, he joined the underground against the Soviet occupation of his country in 1940. During World War II, his family fled Lithuania and lived in Germany before emigrating to the United States. He then served in the US government before returning to Lithuania. His experiences in the pursuit of freedom and democracy are representative of the struggles of Lithuania from 1940 to 1990. Later, he moved back to Lithuania and was elected president in 1998, leaving office in 2009 after serving two terms. During his tenure as president, he led Lithuania in joining NATO and the EU, and also completed a host of political and economic reforms, winning him a high level of respect from people at home and abroad, the president said.
President Ma remarked that while Lithuania and the ROC are geographically distant from each other and had virtually no contact during the Cold War, the two countries have found common ground since Lithuania's embrace of liberalization and democratization. The two countries share the core values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law, the president said, adding that interaction has gradually developed in the areas of culture, education, technology, and academics.
Within the EU, Lithuania strongly supported visa-free entry of Taiwan nationals to countries in the Schengen area. It also has thrown its weight behind meaningful participation for Taiwan in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The president took advantage of this meeting to express his deepest appreciation for these gestures. He added that over the past year-plus period, the European Parliament has passed a number of resolutions supporting expanded international participation for the ROC and has also advocated the signing of an economic cooperation agreement with Taiwan. In fact, the president said, since the EU's inclusion of Taiwan in its visa waiver program, the number of tourists from Taiwan to Europe has increased rapidly. In addition, bilateral trade has also grown sharply in the first eight months of this year compared with the same period of 2010, he indicated. This demonstrates that promoting interaction among people is without a doubt conducive to strengthening bilateral relations, the president said.
President Ma also explained to former President Adamkus that since taking office in May 2008 he has actively pursued a policy of rapprochement in cross-strait relations. To date, Taiwan and mainland China have signed 15 agreements, which has effectively reduced tension in the Taiwan Strait and played a major role in enhancing regional peace. The Taiwan Strait, the president commented, is no longer a flash point.
Lastly, President Ma reiterated his appreciation to former President Adamkus for accepting an invitation to visit Taiwan to attend festivities marking the ROC's centennial. He also hoped that the former president will gain a greater understanding of Taiwan during his stay, which will assist in bolstering relations between the ROC and the EU.
Former President Adamkus was accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Deputy Foreign Minister Lyushun Shen (沈呂巡) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chih-kung Liu (劉志攻).