President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of April 22 welcomed Republic of Haiti President Michel J. Martelly and Mrs. Martelly to Taiwan with military honors. The two leaders held talks and then signed a joint communiqué expressing hope for continued enhancement of the bilateral cooperative relationship and a lasting alliance between the two nations.
The ceremony welcoming President Martelly with military honors began at 10:00 a.m. at Liberty Square in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in downtown Taipei. President Martelly was welcomed with a 21-gun salute, following which the national anthems of both nations were played and the two leaders inspected a tri-service honor guard. Both President Ma and President Martelly then delivered remarks, and Taipei City Mayor Lung-Bin Hau (郝龍斌) presented a key to the city to President Martelly. Among those attending the ceremony were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添), senior ROC government officials, and members of the diplomatic corps stationed in Taiwan.
In remarks, President Ma noted that President and Mrs. Martelly had come to Taiwan on a state visit at the invitation of the ROC government, and he extended a warm welcome to them. He remarked that this marks the first visit to the ROC by a president from Haiti since 2002 when then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide made a visit to Taiwan and makes this visit extremely meaningful. That President Martelly took time out of his busy schedule in Haiti to come to the ROC attests to the importance of the alliance between the two countries, he remarked.
President Ma mentioned that he led a delegation to Haiti on August 13 of last year, making him the first ROC president to visit that nation in the 58 years since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations. The president said he was deeply grateful for the warm reception he received from President Martelly and the Haitian government on his stop there.
The president emphasized that the two countries have a long and friendly alliance, and the peoples of the two nations are engaged in wide-ranging cooperation. After Haiti was rocked by a devastating earthquake in 2010, he personally instructed the government to assemble resources from various private sources here to assist in post-disaster reconstruction. President Ma said he is pleased to see the rapid pace and concrete result of the reconstruction in recent years.
As for relations between the two countries, the president stated, the two leaders would discuss matters of mutual concern during President Martelly's visit here. In particular, President Ma said, the ROC would be pleased to share the "Taiwan experience" with Haiti and provide its suggestions and opinions with respect to the various challenges Haiti is facing at its current level of development. This, he noted, will help to enable the two nations to move together into the future.
Lastly, the president expressed hope that President Martelly, Mrs. Martelly, and the delegation from Haiti would have a pleasant stay in Taiwan. He also wished Haiti good fortune and said he hopes for a lasting and strong alliance between the two countries.
A short while later, the two leaders then held discussions at the Presidential Office. During those talks, President Ma said that eight months ago he led a delegation to Haiti and at that time Haiti was facing various challenges in its post-disaster reconstruction work. In particular, he noted, dozens of government office buildings, including Haiti's presidential building, had collapsed in the earthquake. While President Martelly was working out of a humble office, he still prioritized the reconstruction of other government agencies, President Ma said, adding that this demonstrates the high-minded character of his counterpart.
President Ma stated that while in Haiti he was invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Supreme Court Building there. He said he listened to an address by President Martelly in which the latter declared Haiti a nation based on the rule of law. Consequently, the reconstruction of the Supreme Court Building was listed as one of the priorities among government buildings to be rebuilt, he remarked. President Ma noted this demonstrates Haiti's commitment to democracy and its emphasis on rule of law, both of which he said he was deeply touched to see.
The president mentioned that during President Martelly's visit to Taiwan, the two nations would not only sign a joint communiqué, but would also examine the cooperation projects that are presently being carried out, with an eye toward expanding interaction in a variety of areas. President Ma said the ROC also desires to play an important role in Haiti's reconstruction, which will also further enhance bilateral friendship and alliance.
Following the conclusion of their talks, the two heads of state signed a joint communiqué, with the expectations of strengthening the friendly and cooperative relationship between the governments and private sectors of the two countries.