President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of January 12 with Hilda Hernandez Alvarado, Republic of Honduras Minister of Strategy and Communications of the Government, and her husband. The president extended a cordial welcome to the visitors and called for a continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation and a lasting alliance.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Minister Hernandez previously served as vice minister of agriculture and minister of social development. She was appointed by Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez as minister of strategy and communications in 2014, responsible for many major tasks such as administrative affairs, communications, promoting the government's image, and policy strategies. She is a good model for women in the political arena, said the president.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC and Honduras have friendly and close ties. He visited Honduras for the first time during his tenure as Taipei City mayor, and twice in his capacity as president to attend the inaugurations of former President Porfirio Lobo Sosa and current President Hernandez, respectively. President Ma stated that he witnessed the maturation of the nation's democracy during those trips and that the warmth and friendliness of its people made a deep impression on him. In addition, President Hernandez and Mrs. Hernandez, as well as Vice President Ricardo Antonio Alvarez Arias and Mrs. Alvarez, visited Taiwan in the past year, showing the strong friendship between the two countries.
President Ma then remarked that the diplomatic relationship between the ROC and Honduras spans 74 years. The president expressed his deepest gratitude to the Honduran government for speaking on behalf of the ROC for many years in international venues and taking substantive action to support Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the World Health Assembly.
As for bilateral cooperation, President Ma said that since taking office, President Hernandez has actively worked to tackle the crime situation in Honduras. So the ROC donated several helicopters to Honduras and also helps to maintain them through audio-visual conferences, lengthening service life while also reducing maintenance-related expenses.
The president stated that the ROC each year provides scholarships to 30 outstanding Honduran students under the Taiwan Scholarship program, helping them come to Taiwan and earn degrees here. Two Honduran students are now enrolled in the School of Medicine for International Students at I-Shou University in Kaohsiung City, creating a long-term foundation for bilateral medical cooperation.
President Ma pointed out that Honduras experienced severe flooding last October, and that the ROC government immediately donated US$100,000 to assist the government in post-disaster reconstruction. In addition, Honduras has faced poor crops over the past two years and the ROC also promptly assisted them in fighting their drought and provided food relief. These moves have fulfilled the ROC's policy goal of being a provider of humanitarian aid in the international community, he said.
The president also discussed the One Town One Product (OTOP) project that the ROC introduced in Honduras to help them develop industries with local characteristics. For instance, last year when he visited Honduras, the president was accompanied by Honduran former Vice President Maria Antonieta Guillen de Bogran on a visit to Valle de Angeles, a famous tourist city, where they participated in a groundbreaking ceremony at a model store. The Honduran government is planning on extending the OTOP project to other places in the country. The president said he is deeply pleased to learn of the success of this project.
Looking to the future, President Ma expressed hope that the ROC and Honduras will continue to promote bilateral cooperation projects in a variety of fields on the solid foundation of the existing bilateral friendship, thereby pursuing the greatest wellbeing for the peoples of both countries.