President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of December 17 with Chairman Grzegorz Schetyna of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Polish House of Representatives (the Sejm). In addition to welcoming Chairman Schetyna on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, the president also called for further enhancement of bilateral cooperation.
In remarks, President Ma first stated that Chairman Schetyna has held a number of prominent positions in the Polish government, including acting president of Poland, deputy prime minister and minister of internal affairs and administration, and marshal of the Sejm. The president noted that Chairman Schetyna personally participated in and witnessed Solidarity's efforts to rid Poland of the communist regime, which promoted a transition to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. President Ma expressed great admiration for Chairman Schetyna's enormous contributions.
The president said that while he has never visited Poland, there are many similarities between the ROC and Poland in their modern history. World War I ended in 1918, President Ma said, and V. K. Wellington Koo (顧維鈞), then the ROC Minister to the United States, represented the ROC at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. At the meeting, he and Polish representative to the conference Ignacy Jan Paderewski both called for national self-determination, resistance against the major powers, national independence, and maintenance of uncompromised sovereignty. President Ma pointed out that during World War II, the ROC and Poland both were encroached upon by fascist nations. While the two nations belonged to different political camps in the post-war period, democracy ultimately took root in both countries, and both are now modern nations that uphold freedom, democracy, rule of law, and human rights, the president remarked.
President Ma furthermore stated that relations between Taiwan and Poland have become increasingly close since each established a representative office in the other. He commented that the Polish-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group has 77 members, including three deputy marshals of the Sejm. The group constitutes the largest bilateral friendship organization in Poland's parliament, the president said. He further pointed out that the Sejm in June 2011 and June 2013 sent petitions to the Polish government urging it to support Taiwan's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the conclusion of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and the European Union (EU). He stated that Taiwan is deeply appreciative of these gestures.
The president explained to Chairman Schetyna that in a resolution on EU-Taiwan trade relations and the Annual Report from the European Council to the European Parliament on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, both of which were passed by the European Parliament in October of this year, the EU recognized the progress made in cross-strait relations, commended Taiwan's continuous efforts to maintain peace in the Asia-Pacific region, and urged the negotiation of a bilateral investment agreement and an economic cooperation agreement. He remarked that Taiwan will continue to pursue such accords with the EU, and expressed hope that the Polish parliament will continue to provide support and assistance in this regard in line with the stance of the European Parliament.