During a meeting on the morning of November 24 with a delegation led by Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Hugo A. Velazquez Moreno and Mrs. Velazquez, President Ma Ying-jeou called for continued strengthening of bilateral relations and a lasting alliance.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Chamber President Velazquez is a legal expert who was once a prosecutor in Paraguay. He was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2008, and has won re-election once, President Ma said, adding that Mr. Velazquez has strong relations with the judicial, political, and business communities in his nation. In addition, his wife serves as deputy attorney general, and the president said that both Mr. and Mrs. Velazquez have outstanding reputations.
President Ma mentioned that the Republic of Paraguay is the only diplomatic partner of the ROC in South America. Among the ROC's diplomatic allies, moreover, Paraguay has the largest land area and is located the furthest away. The president said that the two countries' diplomatic relations date back over half a century, the two have had frequent interaction at the highest levels for many years, and they maintain close and friendly ties in many areas. He noted that he visited Paraguay on August 15 of last year to attend the inauguration of President Horacio Cartes, and during his stay he visited the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion to receive an honorary doctoral degree. In October of this year, President Cartes also led a delegation to the ROC to receive the Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon in recognition of his many years spent promoting bilateral interaction and cooperation. These reciprocal visits, President Ma said, indicate a deep bond of friendship between the two countries.
Commenting on bilateral diplomatic ties, the president stated that Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies has consistently maintained close and friendly relations with the ROC. In recent years, the presidents of the legislative bodies of both nations have visited each other, he said. In addition, in April 2012 the Chamber of Deputies took concrete steps to display its support for the ROC. Its Committee on Foreign Affairs, for example, drafted a statement supporting the ROC's participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the statement was unanimously approved by the Chamber of Deputies. In addition, in March last year and March this year, that body again passed statements of support for the ROC in the two aforementioned areas, and also approved a resolution supporting the ROC's East China Sea Peace Initiative, he stated. These friendly gestures, he said, are testament to the strong relations between the two countries.
President Ma further stated that the Chamber of Deputies has also played an important role in promoting bilateral cooperation. In April of this year, Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies and Senate both reviewed and passed the "Che Tapyi"—a cooperation project between the two countries to construct public housing in Paraguay, with single mothers receiving priority in applying for this housing. This initiative will greatly benefit the underprivileged, the president added. He went on to say that at the end of June, the Chamber of Deputies created an ROC Friendship Committee with 25 deputies, or one-third of the chamber's members. The president expressed confidence that this will become an important platform for communication between the two countries.
As for the ROC's assistance after heavy flooding in Paraguay, President Ma recalled that in June of this year the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion and nearby areas suffered devastating floods that damaged over 17,000 homes. The ROC government and private sector immediately donated material aid to the Paraguayan government to help settle the disaster victims, restore normalcy to their lives as quickly as possible, and rebuild their homes, he said. The president expressed hope that the two nations can forge even closer cooperation that will further advance the bilateral relationship and cement a lasting alliance.
Others in the delegation meeting President Ma were Chamber of Deputies members Miguel Tadeo Rojas Meza, Pastor Alberto Vera Bejarano, Mirta Ramona Mendoza Diaz, Fabiola Elvira Oviedo, and Oscar Venancio Nunez Gimenez.