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On the afternoon of August 11, President Lai Ching-te welcomed Prime Minister Godwin Friday of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and his wife with full military honors. In remarks, President Lai stated that the upcoming Saturday will mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, noting that this is also Prime Minister Friday’s first visit to Taiwan since assuming office last year. The president indicated that from the very beginning of the two countries’ diplomatic partnership, both have upheld the shared values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. He added that both countries have also supported each other, advancing hand in hand while continuing to deepen cooperation and achieve numerous successes in such domains as agriculture, healthcare, and education. The president expressed hope that through Prime Minister and Madam Friday’s visit, Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will lay an even more solid foundation for cooperation to jointly build an ever-more prosperous future.
The welcome ceremony began at 4:30 p.m. in the plaza fronting the Presidential Office. President Lai and Prime Minister Friday each delivered remarks after a 19-gun salute, the playing of the two countries’ national anthems, and a review of the military honor guard.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
On behalf of the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I am delighted to welcome, with full military honors, the delegation led by Prime Minister Friday and Madam Friday today on this state visit. Saturday will mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This is also Prime Minister Friday’s first visit to Taiwan since he assumed office last year, making this occasion deeply significant in many regards.
I wish to thank Prime Minister Friday for demonstrating his high regard and support for Taiwan through action. From the very beginning of our diplomatic partnership, our two countries have upheld the shared values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. We have also supported each other, advancing hand in hand while continuing to deepen cooperation and achieve numerous successes in such domains as agriculture, healthcare, and education.
In April, the ROC Navy’s Dunmu Fleet conducted a goodwill visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It was a testament to our deep bilateral friendship and mutual trust. Moreover, it underscored our resolve to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean.
I am confident that through Prime Minister and Madam Friday’s visit, Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will lay an even more solid foundation for cooperation as we jointly build an ever-more prosperous future. I very much look forward to our discussions and wish you a pleasant and productive visit.
Prime Minister Friday then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for welcoming the delegation with a military honors ceremony. He noted that this was his first visit to Taiwan since taking office, and expressed hope that the state visit would further deepen bilateral relations. The prime minister said that when the two countries established diplomatic relations on August 15, 1981, St. Vincent and the Grenadines was still a young nation, having gained political independence less than two years prior on October 27, 1979. Over the 45 years since, he said, Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have developed a deep and fruitful friendship, and have become not only friends, but partners.
Prime Minister Friday noted that Taiwan is still unable to contribute fully in international forums and organizations, while small island developing states still lack the support needed to withstand the impacts of climate change, natural disasters, and external economic shocks. He said that for 45 years, Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have withstood these challenges together, and that that is so much more than friendship.
Prime Minister Friday indicated that, amid the current economic environment, his government has set a straightforward yet demanding task, which is to improve the lives of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Achieving that goal, he said, requires partnership with a country that recognizes development must ultimately improve people’s lives, and that Taiwan has demonstrated exactly that. Taiwan has shown the world what is possible when innovation, enterprise, and human talents are deliberately cultivated, he said; it has also shown that a country’s impact is never limited by its scale, but is unlocked by the resourcefulness and talents of its people. He thanked Taiwan for its longstanding cooperation with his country and stated that St. Vincent and the Grenadines will continue to speak up for Taiwan at the United Nations and its specialized agencies, as well as in international organizations such as the International Criminal Police Organization, expressing hope that his country will do even more in the future.
Prime Minister Friday further noted that his government has identified four key sectors of the economy for investment: agriculture, tourism, the blue economy, and the new economy, and hopes to attract investors in these sectors in particular to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Although St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a small country, he said, like Taiwan, it will not allow its size or starting point to limit its goal of improving people’s lives. He stated that with talented people, extraordinary natural beauty and other assets, a strategic location in the Caribbean, and a government determined to foster the conditions in which investments succeed, St. Vincent and the Grenadines hopes to create more opportunities and good jobs, and promote prosperity for its people.
Prime Minister Friday emphasized that with the establishment of diplomatic relations 45 years ago, their predecessors decided to begin a journey together, and that today, both Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are not only the beneficiaries of that decision, but also its custodians. He said that what we do now will shape what this relationship means to the next generations of both countries who will inherit it. The responsibility of leadership, he added, is not only to honor what we inherit, but also to leave the relationship stronger, more meaningful, and more useful to those who come after. He said that he has come to Taiwan as both a friend and as the representative of a new government with great ambitions for its country. He expressed hope that St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Taiwan will work together to write the next chapter in their 45-year relationship, saying he looks forward to what the two countries will accomplish together.
Also in attendance at the welcome ceremony were St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Kenton X. Chance, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Saint Lucia Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis, and other members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan.
