President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of July 23 with a delegation from the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, led by Congressional President Gudy Rivera Estrada. During the meeting President Ma was bestowed with a congressional order of merit from Congressional President Rivera in recognition of his contributions to promoting democracy and assisting Guatemala in its national development.
The ceremony was held at the Presidential Office in the morning. Guatemala Ambassador to the ROC Arturo Duarte Ortiz , along with Guatemalan Congressmen Jaime Antonio Martinez Lohayza, Carlos Rafael Fion Morales, Marta Odilia Cuellar Giron, and Cesar Leonel Soto Arango were on hand for the ceremony. In addition, Secretary-General to the President Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真), and Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) also attended the ceremony .
The Guatemala Congress decided to present the order of merit to President Ma in recognition of his contributions in the modern history of the ROC, as well as his efforts to promote the development of democracy in international venues. The order also recognizes the president's strong support of the Guatemalan government and his commitment to assisting with the development of domestic construction of the nation, thereby helping to foster the alliance between the two countries.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Congressional President Rivera is a founding member of the Patriotic Party, Guatemala's ruling party. He served as a member of the Central American Parliament , a congressman in the Congress of Guatemala , as well as vice president and president of the assembly. President Ma praised Congressional President Rivera as a distinguished political leader who has overseen the passage of many important bills in congress that are crucial to the livelihood of the Guatemalan people. The president added that Congressional President Rivera is also deeply trusted by Guatemala President Otto Perez and the Guatemalan public.
The president stated that high-ranking officials from the ROC and Guatemala make frequent visits to the other. He pointed out that ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang in November of last year visited Guatemala to extend his congratulations to President Perez, who had just been elected in Guatemala's presidential election, and Minister Yang in January of this year served as his envoy in attending the inauguration ceremonies for President Perez. President Ma also noted that Guatemalan First Lady Rosa Maria Leal de Perez and Minister of Foreign Affairs Harold Caballeros and Mrs. Caballeros visited Taiwan in March and May of this year, respectively. These frequent visits not only represent the stable alliance between the two countries, but also point to the deep bilateral friendship, the president said.
President Ma remarked that he visited Guatemala when he served as Taipei City mayor, and he made a state visit to the nation in the second year of his first term as president. The president expressed that the history, culture, friendliness, and enthusiasm of the people of Guatemala left a deep impression on him.
President Ma stressed that as the world is currently being impacted by climate change, disaster rescue and relief is something no government can neglect. Consequently, Congressional President Rivera on this trip to Taiwan will visit a number of infrastructure projects, as well as Taiwan's disaster prevention and emergency mobilization measures, which will serve as reference in formulating related legislation in Guatemala in the future.
President Ma also asked that Congressional President Rivera convey his best wishes to President Perez upon his return to Guatemala. Meanwhile, he extended an invitation to President Perez and Mrs. Perez to make a state visit to the ROC at an appropriate time. The president noted that Guatemala is the most populous of the ROC's diplomatic allies and the two countries maintain a longstanding close and cooperative relationship. Further visits by high-ranking officials from each country to the other will assuredly help to promote the alliance and friendship, as well as generate wellbeing for the people of the two nations, he said.