Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On July 1 (Tuesday) Panama time, President Ma Ying-jeou spent a second day in Panama on his trip to attend the inauguration of Panamanian President-elect Juan Carlos Varela and visit El Salvador.

President Ma at 12:00 p.m. (1:00 a.m. on July 2 Taipei time) was accompanied by ROC Ambassador to Panama Diego L. Chou (周麟) and the Ministry of Foreign Affair's Department of Protocol Director-General Larry R. L. Tseng (曾瑞利) to the Rommel Fernandez National Stadium to attend the inauguration ceremony of Panamanian President-elect Juan Carlos Varela and Vice President-elect Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado.

After arriving at the venue, President Ma was escorted by a protocol official to the first row of the viewing stand. Sitting on one side of President Ma was Guatemalan President Otto Fernando Perez Molina, while seated on the other side was El Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren.

The inauguration proceedings formally got underway with a traditional prayer ceremony, following which Panama's new president and vice president were sworn in. Panama's new National Assembly President Adolfo Valderrama then presented brief remarks, after which President Varela delivered his inauguration address.

Among the heads of state or high-ranking political figures attending the proceedings and offering their congratulations were Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

After the ceremonies, President Ma and his delegation visited the Panamanian Presidential Palace to offer their congratulations to President Varela, where they also attended a luncheon hosted by President Varela. President Ma had pleasant interactions with other guests during the event.

In the afternoon, President Ma and his delegation visited the Miraflores Locks of Panama Canal. Upon his arrival, the president was accompanied by Panama Canal Administrator Jorge Luis Quijano on a tour of the control center and listened to how the canal is operated. The president then had the opportunity to press the controls that operate the locks, and also visited the viewing platform at the control center to watch a vessel making its way through the canal. He also waved to members of his delegation and journalists accompanying him on the trip who were standing at the viewing platform on the other side of the Miraflores Locks.