President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of April 30 with a delegation led by Central American Parliament President Jose Leonel Vasquez Bucaro. The president extended a cordial welcome and his deepest appreciation to the delegation on their visit to Taiwan.
In remarks, the president stated that the ROC's Legislative Yuan became a permanent observer at the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) in 1999, and relations between the two parliamentary bodies since then have become increasingly close. PARLACEN has on many occasions passed resolutions supporting meaningful participation for the ROC in United Nations agencies and activities, the president noted, adding that PARLACEN is a loyal friend and ally of the ROC.
The president remarked that on February 21 of this year, PARLACEN unanimously passed a declaration of support for the East China Sea Peace Initiative unveiled by the ROC. One month later on March 21, the parliamentary body passed a resolution friendly to the ROC, supporting observer status for the ROC in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, he said. President Ma commented that the people of the ROC are deeply touched by these gestures of true friendship.
President Ma reiterated that the ROC has always been a peace-loving nation. Since taking office, he said, he has promoted dialogue and negotiation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait under the principle of "shelving disputes and together creating win-win situations." In the past, he explained, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula were generally thought of as two potential flashpoints in East Asia, and North Korea continues to be a flashpoint to this day. However, the Taiwan Strait is now moving in the direction of harmony and prosperity, he remarked, adding that the entire world is pleased to see the development of peace and stability between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
President Ma mentioned that the East China Sea Peace Initiative urges all parties to shelve the dispute and instead focus on jointly developing resources in the area. The president said he hopes that the three parties involved can hold three sets of bilateral talks on the issue. President Ma mentioned that in November of last year, Taiwan and Japan engaged in fishing talks, and in April of this year the two sides signed a fisheries agreement, the first of its kind between the two since diplomatic relations were severed 40 years ago. This agreement sets out zones that will be jointly managed and where fishermen from each country will be allowed to operate without interference, he said. The president noted that the two sides decided to resolve the matter in a peaceful manner in line with the principle of shelving disputes. The agreement does not prejudice the sovereignty claims of either side, he said. Rather, the agreement protects the fishing rights of each side and thus significantly reduces tension in the region, the president stated.
President Ma stressed that the ROC will continue to adopt a stance of using peaceful means to resolve disputes, thus promoting international peace and cooperation, he said.
In addition to President Vasquez Bucaro, the delegation included Vice President Silvia Garcia Polanco from the Dominican Republic, Luis Alberto Castilla Sinisterra from Panama, Guillermo Daniel Ortega Reyes from Nicaragua, Armando Bardales Paz from Honduras, and Roberto Alejos Vasquez from Guatemala. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添) and National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).