Taipei, April 3 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian met with outgoing Senegal Ambassador Ahmed Tijane Kane Tuesday, saying that he will sincerely welcome a visit by Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade to Taiwan and that two-way ties will be further cemented through exchanges of visits by ranking officials.
Lamenting that he was not able to pay a visit to Senegal on an African tour in August last year, Chen told Kane that he is happy that Wade will have the opportunity to visit Taiwan in July and that the Republic of China government will greet him with the warmest reception.
On behalf of the ROC government and its people, Chen praised Kane for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of bilateral ROC-Senegal relations during his two-year-and-a-half tenure in Taiwan, encouraging him to continue working for friendship between the two countries even after leaving his current post Sunday.
Chen also hailed Kane as one of Senegal's best diplomats, who had not only witnessed his rise to the presidency from his reelection defeat in the 1998 Taipei mayoral race, but had also experienced Taiwan's democratic and economic progress over the past few years.
Although many people were concerned about that the ROC's first power transition on May 20 last year would have an impact on the nation's foreign policy, Chen said that facts have proved that Taiwan's foreign policy is consistent and stable despite the change in the entral government.