Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Republic of China President Chen Shui-bian and his Nicaragua counterpart, Enrique Bolanos Geyer, signed a joint communique Thursday reaffirming their commitment to further consolidating diplomatic and cooperative ties between the two countries.
The two heads of state inked the joint communique at the Presidential Office in the presence of several ROC government officials and the visiting Nicaraguan delegation.
In the joint communique, Bolanos reaffirmed that Nicaragua will continue to throw its firm support behind the ROC's bid to join the United Nations and other international organizations, such as the World Health Organization. For his part, Chen expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bolanos for his administration's support for the ROC's cause in the international arena.
Before signing the communique, Chen and Bolanos held talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including the regional and international situation as well as the boosting of bilateral relations.
Hailing his official visit as fruitful, Bolanos told Chen that his trip has not only helped solidify the diplomatic ties between the two countries but has also enabled him to forge friendships with ROC lawmakers. Earlier in the day, the Nicaragua head of state called at the Legislative Yuan to exchange views with Wang Jin-pyng, the legislative head, on matters of mutual concern.
Bolanos said that in addition to visiting several computer and information technology companies and educational establishments, he also made a special tour of the Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation in Hualien to thank the charity group for its assistance in 1998 when the Central American country was hard-hit by Hurricane Mitch. He also thanked the ROC government and people for the warmth of their hospitality.
In response, Chen said that Tzu Chi is a symbol of Taiwan's philanthropy and reiterated that the ROC is willing to do all it can to help promote Nicaragua's various development projects.