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On the morning of October 19, President Tsai Ing-wen met with the participants in the 12th session of an international training course organized by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense for senior military officers from allies in Latin America and the Caribbean. The president thanked her guests' countries for their many years of support for Taiwan's international participation. She also expressed hope that Taiwan can continue working with those countries to lay a solid foundation for long-term development on all sides.
In remarks, President Tsai stated that this series of international training courses is an important platform for military exchanges between Taiwan and other countries, and noted that the participants in this 12th session hail from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru. Particularly notable, she said, is that Honduran Ambassador to the ROC Rafael Fernando Sierra Quesada also participated in the course.
President Tsai pointed out that the participating countries all maintain a strong friendship with Taiwan, and reciprocal visits over the past year and more have been frequent. In addition to her own trip to Central and South America and a trip by Vice President Chen Chien-jen to the Dominican Republic, there have also been visits to Taiwan by Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Paraguayan President Horacio Manuel Cartes, Dominican Republic Senate President Reinaldo Pared Perez, and many other high-ranking officials from Latin America, all of whom have thus shown support for Taiwan through concrete action.
President Tsai said that our country welcomes the world to Taiwan, and we engage actively with the world through exchanges in many different fields. Military diplomacy on many fronts—including high-level reciprocal visits, military training, donations of military supplies, and intelligence sharing—has helped to enhance Taiwan's cooperative relations with other countries.
The president noted that this series of international training courses dates back 46 years, with five attendees at the presidential or prime minister level, as well as more than 80 cabinet members. She expressed confidence that the course lectures and field trips in which her visitors have taken part over the preceding weeks will enhance mutual understanding and friendship.
President Tsai voiced her view that in today's rapidly changing world, no country can face its challenges alone. Every country must seek a new direction for cooperation. The president thanked her guests' countries for their many years of support for Taiwan's international participation, and expressed hope that Taiwan can continue working with those countries to lay a solid foundation for long-term development for all parties.
In concluding her remarks, the president pointed out that most of her guests were in Taiwan for the first time, and would finish their training course the next day. So she welcomed them to come back often. She also asked them to convey her best regards to their respective heads of state after returning home.
