President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of July 31 met with Hungarian Parliamentarian Jeno Lastztovicza at the Presidential Office. The president, on behalf of the government and people, extended a warm welcome to Mr. Lastztovicza.
President Ma said that in light of increasing friendship between Taiwan and Hungary, more and more Hungarian parliamentarians are expressing support for Taiwan. The parliamentary Taiwan Friendship Group has increased in size from some 20 members to 30 members, a development that the president said he welcomes.
The president said that considerable room exists for bilateral trade to grow. Taiwan presently enjoys a trade surplus with Hungary. The president said that in the future increased purchase by Taiwan of Hungarian goods would help to gradually balance trade between the two.
President Ma also said that since taking office, the new government has adopted a number of stances different from the previous administration. He said the government is continuing to work to solidify friendships with the ROC’s diplomatic allies. At the same time, the government is working on expanding cooperation with friendly nations that do not maintain diplomatic ties with the ROC in order to show that it values ties with these countries too. The president especially noted that just as relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are starting to improve, he hopes that relations with other countries that are not diplomatic allies can be strengthened. President Ma said that investment in Taiwan by the European Union presently outpaces that from the United States and Japan. In the future, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its relationship with the EU, he said.
Parliamentarian Lastztovicza said he is aware of the difficulties that Taiwan faces in the diplomatic arena. However, he said there is no lack of supporters of Taiwan in the Hungarian Parliament. He said that the Taiwan Friendship Group has become the parliament’s largest sub-group. He added that members of the group speak on behalf of Taiwan in a variety of international forums, including the EU. For instance, the Taiwan Friendship Group has asked the EU to re-examine its unequal treatment of Taiwan. Mr. Lastztovicza said members of the group are keeping a close eye on the many liberalization measures that have been implemented by Taiwan’s new government.
President Ma reiterated his appreciation for the staunch support for Taiwan and the contributions made in this respect by the Taiwan Friendship Group. He added that he is confident that the efforts made by the group will have a positive impact on the future development of relations between the two countries.
The president furthermore said that he is fully aware of the diplomatic realpolitik in the international community. In light of this, he mentioned in his inauguration address that he hopes the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are able to achieve reconciliation not only in relations with each other, but also in the international arena. The president said if Taiwan continues to be isolated internationally, it will be impossible to foster a good environment that would aid in the development of cross-strait relations. As such, the president said he publicly has called on the two sides to adopt reconciliation and a truce with regards to diplomatic issues. Currently, Taiwan is about to engage in negotiations with Mainland China on the issues of expanding international ties for Taiwan and allowing Taiwan to enter international organizations. While it will take a significant period of time to come up with a solution that is agreeable to both sides, this is an effort worth making, he said.
Moving the topic back to relations between Taiwan and Hungary, the president said he hopes both sides can continue to strengthen and expand interaction and cooperation based on the existing foundation, thereby generating greater wellbeing for the people of the two countries. With regards to multilateral relations, President Ma said he hopes the EU will support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.