On the morning of October 7, President Ma Ying-jeou accepted the credentials of the new Belize Ambassador to the ROC Cherie Minette Nisbet in a 10:00 a.m. ceremony at the Presidential Office. In addition to extending a warm welcome and congratulations to Ambassador Nisbet, the president also called for continued strengthening of cooperation and a lasting alliance between the ROC and Belize.
In remarks, President Ma noted that the ROC and Belize have maintained a stable and close alliance since establishing formal diplomatic ties in 1989. He pointed out that the government and people of Belize have long provided moral support to the ROC in international venues. For instance, he said, Belize spoke on behalf of the ROC at the 2011 and 2012 General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly. In addition, Belize spoke in favor of Taiwan at the 17th and 18th sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, strongly supporting participation for Taiwan in related organizations and activities, he said. This shows that Belize strongly believes in the importance of meaningful participation by the ROC in international activities, he noted, adding that the government and people of the ROC will always remember the gestures of Belize.
President Ma also stated that cooperation between the ROC and Belize is quite close, and that the two have achieved considerable results in cooperation in the areas of agricultural technology, information and communications, health care, humanitarian aid, and law enforcement. The president commented that as for academic and cultural interaction, to date 231 students from Belize have studied in Taiwan and that over 100 of them have completed their studies here and returned to their home country to utilize what they have learned. In addition, said President Ma, each year the ROC government provides officials from the Belize government with opportunities to come to Taiwan to take part in a range of training courses and seminars. These efforts, he remarked, are helping the ROC and Belize to share economic development experiences.
President Ma mentioned that he received a warm welcome from the governor general and prime minister of Belize when he visited that nation in 2009, and the warm and enthusiastic reception he received from the people of Belize left a deep impression on him. The president stated that during his visit, he attended a banquet held by the ROC's agricultural technology mission in Belize to welcome his arrival. The rice, fruit, and vegetables in the meal were all grown with the assistance of the mission, the president noted, adding that the dishes tasted much like they do in Taiwan, which he said he found amazing. He also said that during his discussions with Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow, the two exchanged opinions on how to expand rice production in Belize. The president expressed hope that assistance provided by the ROC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Executive Yuan's Council of Agriculture will enable Belize to ultimately became a major producer of rice. In addition, he said, the ROC has helped Belize establish a digital opportunity center to train young people in the use of computers and other information hardware. President Ma commented that these efforts have been extremely successful and that related projects will continue to be carried out in the future.
The president stated that Ambassador Nisbet was educated in both the United States and Central America. She speaks fluent English and Spanish, and is extremely knowledgeable, he said. The president added that Ambassador Nisbet is also a very sincere person and extremely well liked in the diplomatic community. Over the previous two years, he noted, she had served as the Chargé d'Affaires at the Belize embassy here and is extremely familiar with ROC affairs. He said that her promotion to ambassador is well deserved, adding that he hopes during her tenure she will further promote mutual cooperation and interaction between the two sides, thereby enhancing the alliance between the two countries.
The credentials ceremony was held at the Presidential Office in the morning. Among those witnessing 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).