President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of September 17 with Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe National Assembly Speaker Evaristo Carvalho and the delegation he was leading. In addition to discussing bilateral cooperation and interaction projects, the president expressed his appreciation to Sao Tome and Principe for, on numerous instances in international venues, supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. The president also expressed his hopes for a continued strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the future.
In remarks, the president stated that the ROC and Sao Tome and Principe established diplomatic relations in May 1997, and the following year Speaker Carvalho visited Taiwan with then-President Miguel Trovoada, father of current Prime Minister Patrice Emery Trovoada. In addition, Speaker Carvalho has on many instances expressed strong support for relations between the two countries, both domestically and while in international situations. This marks the fourth visit to Taiwan by Speaker Carvalho, and the president said he hopes that the alliance between the ROC and Sao Tome and Principe will continue to advance.
President Ma commented that since being inaugurated in 2008, he has actively pursued a policy of "viable diplomacy" to solidify the ROC's alliances with it diplomatic partners while enhancing substantive relations with nations that the ROC does not have diplomatic ties with. At the same time, this policy has been promoted with the hope of expanding opportunities for the ROC to participate in international activities, he said. President Ma remarked that over the 15 years during which the two nations have had diplomatic ties, a number of bilateral cooperation projects have been promoted, covering the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, medical care, and public health. The ROC, he said, has actively helped Sao Tome and Principe to fight malaria and improve the state of health and sanitation. He furthermore stated that the ROC hopes to continue with other cooperation projects that enjoy bilateral support.
The president stated that three years ago the ROC began promoting its Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program to encourage enthusiastic and talented young people to visit the ROC's allies. He noted that a delegation of youth ambassadors from the ROC has visited Sao Tome and Principe for three consecutive years. Members of this year's group of youth ambassadors not only spoke Portuguese, but also learned Forro, a local dialect, and traditional dances. The group was warmly welcomed and applauded by local residents. President Ma also explained that a scholarship program operated by the ROC is responsible for over 40 students from Sao Tome and Principe currently studying for master's or doctoral degrees in Taiwan. In fact, Roberto Carvalho, a son of Speaker Carvalho, is of the students. This program, the president said, has helped to promote interaction among youth between the two countries, which he has been especially pleased to see.
President Ma also expressed his appreciation to government officials from Sao Tome and Principe for speaking on behalf of Taiwan in international venues on numerous occasions. For instance, last year Sao Tomean Foreign Affairs Minister Manuel Salvador dos Ramos spoke on behalf of Taiwan at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, while representatives from that nation's Ministry of Health also expressed support for Taiwan at this year's World Health Assembly, advocating meaningful participation for Taiwan in international organizations and activities of UN specialized agencies. President Ma also expressed his desire for a continued strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the future, which would help to further consolidate the bilateral alliance.
The delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Carvalho included National Assemblymen Idalecio Augusto Quaresma, Jose da Graca Viegas Santiago, and Delfim Santiago das Neves. The group was escorted to the Presidential Office by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).