President Tsai meets Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Ronaldo Moncada Colindres
While meeting with a delegation led by Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Ronaldo Moncada Colindres on the morning of February 27, President Tsai Ing-wen stated that cooperation between Taiwan and Nicaragua in many areas has grown closer over the past three years and official exchanges have also become more frequent. Taiwan is happy to share experiences with Nicaragua in all areas so that we can further our bilateral exchanges and continue to work together to deepen our partnership, she said.
A translation of the president's remarks follows:
I am delighted to once again meet with Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres and Minister of Finance and Public Credit Iván Adolfo Acosta Montalván today. I also want to welcome Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Edward Francisco Centeno Gadea and Minister-Director Guillermo José González González of the National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention of Disasters on their first visit to Taiwan.
I would also like to thank President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo for their support following last month's presidential election in Taiwan. They not only sent a letter of congratulations, but also asked Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres to convey their congratulations when he met with our Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). I want to take this opportunity to ask Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres to thank President Ortega and Vice President Murrillo on my behalf and convey my best regards.
I visited Nicaragua to attend President Ortega's inauguration ceremony in 2017. In the three years since then, our cooperation in many areas has grown closer. Official exchanges have also become more frequent, including three visits by Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres during that period. All of these exchanges have enhanced our interactions and mutual understanding.
Minister Centeno Gadea, who is with us today, is the former chairman of the Specialty Coffees Association of Nicaragua, and currently the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. I am sure that during your first visit to Taiwan, you will see that coffee shops are everywhere, so you will be able to appreciate just how much people in Taiwan love coffee.
Coffee from Nicaragua is very popular here in Taiwan. And at the same time that you are in Taiwan, our coffee industry delegation is visiting Nicaragua and other Central American allies to explore business opportunities, and conduct exchanges. Through our close bilateral cooperation, we look forward to creating even more outstanding results in the future.
This month, our technical mission stationed in Nicaragua also held a training seminar under our Disaster Resilience Project. Thanks to the support of Minister-Director González, who is here with us today, this project has been implemented very smoothly since it began last year. And we hope that the training provided during that seminar will further enhance the local disaster preparedness system.
In addition to disaster prevention and relief, Taiwan is happy to share experiences with Nicaragua in all areas. Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres and our other distinguished guests are all Taiwan's key cooperative partners. Once again, let me welcome you all to Taiwan to further our bilateral exchanges. Let's all continue to work together to deepen the Taiwan-Nicaragua partnership. Thank you.
In his remarks that followed, Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres stated that this visit to Taiwan was primarily to convey the steadfast position of President Ortega and Vice President Murillo toward deepening our bilateral friendship and mutual cooperation. Current Nicaragua-Taiwan cooperative projects are all making concrete progress, he said, especially in 11 different areas where they are significantly aiding the national, social, and economic development of Nicaragua.
Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres then noted that the Nicaraguan government is happy to continue to speak up for Taiwan in international organizations and venues where Taiwan needs support. This is Nicaragua's unchanging position and spirit, he said, and his country will continue to deepen its bilateral friendship and cooperation with Taiwan and support Taiwan politically, diplomatically, and in international organizations.