President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of September 23 with a delegation led by Eduard Kukan, a member of the European Parliament from Slovakia. In addition to updating Mr. Kukan on relations and interaction in a wide variety of areas between the ROC and Slovakia, the president also expressed hope that the trilateral trade and investment relationship involving the ROC, Slovakia, and the European Union (EU) will move to the next level in the future.
In remarks, the president stated that Mr. Kukan previously served as the Czechoslovak ambassador to Ethiopia and Slovakia Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as Slovak minister of foreign affairs. He has served as a member of the European Parliament since 2009, further bolstering his enormous experience in politics and foreign affairs, the president said. Also in attendance were Ambassador Milan Tancar, an advisor to Slovak minister of foreign affairs and Ambassador Marian Tomasik, the director of the Asia and the Pacific Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Tancar was instrumental in promoting the establishment of mutual representative offices in 2003 and has been a long-term proponent of the development of relations between the two countries. Ambassador Tomasik has also actively promoted substantive cooperation between the ROC and Slovakia. All of them have made considerable contributions in the expansion of relations between Taiwan and Slovakia.
Discussing the ROC-Slovakia relationship, President Ma said that bilateral relations have developed smoothly since he took office in 2008. In 2011 and 2012 the two countries signed numerous agreements and memoranda of cooperation including an agreement for avoidance of double taxation; a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation on standards, metrology, and inspection; an agreement on cooperation in the field of e-government; an MOU between the ROC's Foreign Service Institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Slovakian Diplomatic Academy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and an MOU on mutual recognition of driver's licenses. Last year the two countries also signed an MOU on youth working holidays, and in April of this year the Agreement in the Field of Science and Technology. All of these moves have created a solid foundation for cooperation and interaction between the ROC and Slovakia in trade and economics, science and technology, as well as culture, the president said.
The president also mentioned that ROC-Slovakia investment relations are getting stronger, with Taiwanese companies to date having invested nearly €300 million in Slovakia. Bilateral trade last year reached €330 million, a growth of 15.4% from the previous year. The president expressed hope that, based on this foundation, bilateral relations will continue to move forward.
The president added that in the international arena Slovakia has continued to take action to support meaningful participation for Taiwan in international organizations. For instance, in 1994 it was the first country in the Eurozone to raise a resolution supporting visa-free travel for ROC nationals to the Schengen Area. This year, Slovakia also expressed its support to European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom to include a proposal for a Taiwan-EU bilateral investment agreement (BIA) in a new EU trade strategy report, and is also working to promote the negotiation and signing of an economic cooperation agreement (ECA) between Taiwan and the EU. In addition, the Slovak National Council's Committee on European Affairs in 2010 passed a resolution supporting meaningful participation for Taiwan in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, while Slovak-Taiwanese Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Ivan Stefanec in 2013 sent a letter on behalf of the friendship group to the International Civil Aviation Organization to express support for Taiwan's observer status.
The number of countries and areas throughout the world providing ROC nationals with visa-free entry or landing visas has risen from 54 when President Ma took office in 2008 to 148 today. Of those 94 jurisdictions that have been added, 69 are countries or areas in Europe, the president pointed out. Furthermore, since the EU granted Taiwan nationals the Shengen visa exemption the number of ROC nationals traveling to Europe for tourism or for business has continued to rise, with the number of ROC nationals visiting the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania last year having tripled compared to 2010.
The president then mentioned that the Balkan states in 2010 began providing visa-free courtesies to ROC nationals in accordance with the treatment provided by the EU. This, he said, has helped to forge continued growth in interaction between non-government sectors and in trade and economic dealings between Taiwan and the Balkan nations. At the same time, Taiwan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have jointly assisted the Balkan region in transitioning to a market economy. Taiwan has contributed US$1.5 million to the establishment of the EBRD Balkan Region Special Fund, whose purpose is to assist in the economic development of Balkan nations. This fund has been extremely successful in helping local small- and medium-sized enterprises and promoting women's entrepreneurship, the president said.
President Ma noted that Mr. Kukan was previously selected by former UN Secretary General Kofi A. Annan to serve as UN Special Envoy for the Balkans, adding that Mr. Kukan has also served as the chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. He is presently chair of the Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, which highlights his keen understanding of Balkan affairs. The president hopes that in the future the ROC can turn to Mr. Kukan, who has strong relationships with Balkan nations, for assistance in expanding mutually beneficial substantial relationships with countries in the region.
With respect to the ROC's achievements in promoting trade liberalization and regional economic integration, President Ma said that Taiwan continues to actively pursue free trade agreements with its major trading partners. Since signing the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with mainland China in 2010, Taiwan has signed ECAs with Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, and has resumed negotiations with the United States under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. The president hopes that Taiwan will successfully negotiate and sign a BIA with the EU as soon as possible to further strengthen the trilateral cooperative economic and trade relationship involving the ROC, Slovakia, and the EU.