Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

The new Ambassador of the Republic of Paraguay to the ROC Marcial Bobadilla Guillen presented his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou in a ceremony at the Presidential Office at 9:00 a.m. on August 1. In addition to welcoming Ambassador Bobadilla to his new post, the president also called for a continued strengthening of cooperation between the two countries and the maintenance of lasting bilateral ties.

In remarks, President Ma commented that Ambassador Bobadilla is a senior professional diplomat with a strong academic background and abundant experience. In the past, he served as Paraguay's deputy representative to the Organization of American States, charge d'affaires to Germany and to the United States, deputy foreign minister, and ambassador to Russia, the president said. President Ma pointed out that Ambassador Bobadilla previously visited Taiwan as deputy foreign minister, and has made every effort to promote the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

The president noted that the ROC and Paraguay established formal diplomatic relations nearly 60 years ago, and the alliance between the two has been extremely stable. Furthermore, bilateral cooperation projects have and continue to be carried out with success, he said. The president stated that five years ago when he attended the inauguration of the Paraguayan president and vice president, he had the opportunity to hold discussions with President Luis Federico Franco Gomez. President Ma also remarked that President and Mrs. Franco led a delegation from Paraguay on a state visit to the ROC in May of this year and the two had cordial discussions and reminisced about past events.

With Paraguay scheduled to inaugurate a new president in mid-August, said President Ma, Ambassador Bobadilla's appointment at this juncture demonstrates Paraguay's strong friendship toward the ROC, and also highlights the mature state of that nation's democracy.

President Ma expressed hope that the two nations will continue to strengthen their cooperative relationship. He also asked that Ambassador Bobadilla relay his best wishes to Paraguayan President-elect Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara.

The ceremony in which Ambassador Bobadilla presented his credentials was held at the Presidential Office in the morning. Among those on hand to witness the ceremony were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添) and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂).