President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of October 8 welcomed Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré to the ROC with full military honors. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to President Compaoré on his arrival and expressed appreciation for his counterpart's participation in the ROC's centenary celebration activities.
The welcoming ceremony was held at 10:30 a.m. at Liberty Square in front of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. President Compaoré was welcomed with a 21-gun salute. The national anthems of the two countries were played, after which the two heads of state reviewed the tri-service honor guard. President Ma and President Compaoré then each delivered remarks.
President Ma praised his counterpart as a diligent leader who loves his people. At the same time, President Compaoré is an enthusiastic participant in regional and international affairs, having won recognition from international quarters for his work and enabling Burkina Faso to increasingly gain status internationally. President Ma expressed deepest appreciation to Burkina Faso for its resolute support for Taiwan's participation in United Nations-affiliated international activities. He also said that the two countries promote a range of cooperation projects under the principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit. These projects have yielded outstanding results, he stated. The ROC desires to be an important cooperative partner in its ally’s future development and provide a contribution to the wellbeing of the people of Burkina Faso, he said.
After the ceremony, the two leaders went to the nearby Presidential Office where they held discussions. President Ma remarked that President Compaoré was re-elected by a landslide last November, winning 80.15% of the votes. This points to the popularity of President Compaoré among the people of Burkina Faso, he said. President Ma stated that due to his busy schedule in Taiwan, he was unable to personally attend ceremonies inaugurating President Compaoré to another term in office, and therefore specially asked Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to serve as his special envoy to the events. He said that Premier Wu subsequently told him how impressed he was by the industriousness of the people of Burkina Faso and the rapid development experienced by that nation under President Compaoré 's leadership.
President Ma commented that Burkina Faso means "the country of honorable people," and it is known around the world for its warm and friendly people. Despite the considerable geographical distance between the two countries, as well as different languages and cultures, the people of both countries have had to rely on their hard work and mutual support in the face of a lack of natural resources. Consequently, the friendship established by the two countries is extremely precious, the president said.
President Ma reiterated his gratitude to Burkina Faso for speaking on behalf of the ROC in international venues. He also again expressed the ROC's willingness to share its developmental experience with Burkina Faso and engage in even closer cooperation.
The delegation led by President Compaoré was accompanied in the morning by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), who then led them to the Presidential Office to meet with President Ma. Also attending the discussions were Presidential Secretary-General Wu Jin-lin (伍錦霖), National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真), and the ambassadors from the two countries.