On the afternoon of October 3, President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation from St. Christopher and Nevis led by Patrice Nisbett, Minister of Justice, Legal Affairs, Homeland Security, Labour and Foreign Affairs. In addition to welcoming the delegation to Taiwan on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president called for a further expansion of cooperative bilateral relations.
In remarks, the president stated that Minister Nisbett is a lawyer by training and a distinguished political leader in St. Christopher and Nevis. Minister Nisbett previously served as a member of the National Assembly, as well as attorney general. President Ma said that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the independence of St. Christopher and Nevis. At the same time, the ROC and St. Christopher and Nevis are also celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations, he noted. The ROC, said the president, was the first nation to establish diplomatic ties with St. Christopher and Nevis after its independence, so the timing of this visit by Minister Nisbett carries important significance for the two countries.
President Ma stated that when he led a delegation from the ROC to St. Christopher and Nevis in August of this year, he received warm hospitality from the government and people there. During his visit he signed a joint communiqué with Prime Minister Denzil L. Douglas, and the two leaders also jointly witnessed the signing of a bilateral extradition treaty by their respective foreign ministers. Both of these actions point to increasingly close bilateral ties, he commented.
With respect to bilateral cooperation projects, the president explained to Minister Nisbett that during his trip to St. Christopher and Nevis in August he visited a new tourist demonstration farm and a solar farm there, both of which left a deep impression on him. He said that construction of the solar farm had yet to be completed when he was there, but he has been pleased to learn that it successfully commenced operation on September 18.
President Ma also reiterated his deepest appreciation on behalf of the government and people of the ROC for the longstanding support of St. Christopher and Nevis for Taiwan's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the World Health Assembly, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The president said that St. Christopher and Nevis Minister of Tourism and International Transport Richard O. Skerritt, who led his nation's delegation to the ICAO's 38th Assembly, also spoke on behalf of Taiwan during the assembly, and was the first representative of an ally to speak on behalf of the ROC at this year's event.
President Ma also said that Director General Shen Chi (沈啟) of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Civil Aeronautics Administration is currently attending the ICAO Assembly in Montreal, Canada as a specially invited guest. The development has been reported in international media, he noted, pointing out that this marks the first time that Taiwan has attended an ICAO assembly since it lost its representation in the United Nations 42 years ago. Thus, participation in this year's event is especially significant, he stated.
Accompanying Minister Nisbett was St. Christopher and Nevis Attorney General Jason Hamilton and Mrs. Hamilton, and St. Christopher and Nevis Ambassador to the ROC Jasmine Elise Huggins. The delegation was escorted 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 were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添) and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Jacob Chang (張大同).