President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 21 at the Presidential Office with Nicaragua Vice President Moises Omar Halleslevens Acevedo and Republic of Haiti Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Pierre-Richard Casimir, each of whom led a congratulatory delegation to Taiwan to participate in the inauguration of the 13th-term president and vice president of the ROC. Also attending the meetings were Vice President Wu Den-yih and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀).
While meeting with Nicaraguan Vice President Halleslevens and Mrs. Halleslevens, the president specially lauded the vice president's background as a distinguished politician and a military officer. Besides being involved in the military from an early age and having participated in the revolutionary movement, Vice President Halleslevens has also assisted the Nicaraguan police in combatting the smuggling of drugs and arms, he said. He previously served in key positions such as Chief of the General Staff and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, and he has earned the trust of the public. At the end of last year, he was the running mate of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and in the presidential election they won 62.66% of the votes cast, the president noted.
President Ma recalled that he previously led a delegation to Nicaragua in 2009 and during the visit President Ortega personally drove him to rural areas to see the status and success of the work carried out by Taiwan's agricultural mission to Nicaragua. At the time, the two leaders also exchanged opinions on the histories of the two countries, philosophies of governing, and educational policies, and the discussions were extremely fruitful.
President Ma emphasized that the ROC and Nicaragua share the core values of freedom and democracy. In addition, he noted that Nicaragua has on many occasions supported meaningful participation for Taiwan in important organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Health Organization. He said he also deeply appreciates that Nicaragua has for three consecutive years spoken on behalf of the ROC at the United Nations General Assembly Debate.
Shortly after the conclusion of this meeting, the president met with Haiti Secretary of State Casimir. President Ma noted that Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly just underwent surgery and is recuperating. In addition, the Haitian parliament is getting ready to vote on the appointment of a prime minister. Consequently, President Martelly was unable to attend the inauguration ceremonies here. However, President Ma specially asked Secretary of State Casimir to forward his best regards to his counterpart.
President Ma stated that the ROC and Haiti have an alliance that dates back 57 years. Taiwan immediately dispatched rescue and relief teams to Haiti after the devastating earthquake that struck that nation in January 2010, the president said. Meanwhile, after attending the inauguration of Republic of Honduras President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, President Ma immediately met with former Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and the two exchanged opinions on rescue and relief work. The ROC, the president said, also assisted Haiti in constructing shelters and homes for victims of the disaster, provided health care and hygiene services, set up vocational training and employment assistance programs, and initiated an arrangement to come to the assistance of underprivileged children.
The president stressed that the ROC in recent years has strived to promote becoming a "provider of humanitarian aid." President Ma said he recognizes that the reconstruction of Haiti is a long road and that he hopes the two countries will continue to cooperate to complete this mission as soon as possible and help the public to resume their normal lives.
Accompanying Nicaraguan Vice President Halleslevens and Mrs. Halleslevens were Nicaragua Ambassador to the ROC William Tapia, and Minister of Industry and Commerce Orlando S. Solorzano Delgadillo. Meanwhile, accompanying Republic of Haiti Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Casimir was Presidential Advisor Gregory Mayard-Paul.