Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 11 with Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe to the ROC Jorge Amado. The president expressed his best wishes to Ambassador Amado, who will soon conclude his tenure in the ROC and return to his homeland to lead an important political party. President Ma also expressed his hopes that Ambassador Amado will continue to work to foster interaction and cooperation between the two countries, and to further enhance the bilateral alliance.

In remarks, President Ma stated that Ambassador Amado assumed his post in Taiwan in 2009, and will return to Sao Tome and Principe in the middle of this month. Over the course of his stay here, Ambassador Amado has made significant achievements in his efforts to strengthen interaction and cooperation between the ROC and Sao Tome and Principle, and has recently been decorated with the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) on behalf of the government in recognition of his contributions thereof.

President Ma stated that Ambassador Amado used to serve as a parliamentarian in his nation, and over the years has immersed himself in problems faced at the grassroots level and the needs of his constituents. The president added that the ambassador will become a leader of an important political party in Sao Tome and Principe upon his return, and extended his best wishes to Ambassador Amado for success in his new position. Moreover, President Ma expressed his hopes that Ambassador Amado will continue to promote the alliance between the two countries and that he will share with the people of his nation his experiences in Taiwan over the past three years, thereby helping to boost understanding of the ROC among the public there.

The president stated that considerable progress has been seen in cooperation between the two countries on malaria eradication and construction of the Santo Amaro thermal power plant, as well as cooperation projects promoted by the ROC's technical mission stationed in Sao Tome and Principe in such fields as medical care and vocational training. President Ma said the ROC is committed to using its developmental experiences to help meet the needs of Sao Tome and Principe today. Looking forward, the president said he hopes that Sao Tome and Principe will continue to express support in international venues for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, thus creating more space for the ROC in international activities.

Ambassador Amado was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).