Taiwan’s President-elect and current Vice President, William Lai (Lai Ching-te), assured on Tuesday that his government “will deepen” the island’s relations with Paraguay, a country with which it has maintained official diplomatic ties since 1957.
“Taiwan is willing to continue deepening its friendship and cooperation with Paraguay, firmly safeguarding the democratic and free way of life, and promoting prosperity and development in Taiwan and Paraguay, benefiting the peoples of both countries,” Lai stated during his meeting with the Paraguayan Senate President, Silvio Ovelar, in Taipei.
The President-elect emphasized that the Paraguayan government has taken “concrete actions” to firmly support Taiwan’s international participation in forums such as the United Nations General Assembly debate, the Interpol General Assembly, or the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Committee.
“On behalf of the people and government of Taiwan, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Paraguay,” said Lai, who traveled to Paraguay last August to attend the inauguration of Paraguayan President Santiago Peña.
Ovelar, leading a delegation of Paraguayan parliamentarians on the island, noted that the relationship between Taiwan and the Latin American country “will be closer and deeper in the future.”
“The Paraguayan people will never change their commitment to maintain and deepen bilateral friendship, mutual assistance, and cooperation (with Taiwan). In this era of realism, many countries are guided by interests, but for Paraguay, emotions, commitment, and values are of utmost importance,” expressed Ovelar.
Later, Ovelar met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who thanked the Latin American country for “actively defending Taiwan” in the international community.
“The cooperation between Taiwan and Paraguay in the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, livestock, and women’s empowerment has yielded fruitful results. I hope that both countries will continue to deepen exchanges and create more benefits for the people on both sides,” stated the president, who will leave office on May 20.
The President of the Paraguayan Senate arrived in Taiwan last Sunday with a group of legislators, including the Second Vice President of the Paraguayan Senate, Hermelinda Alvarenga, and Senator Pedro Alejandro Díaz.
Ovelar’s tour, which will extend until April 18, includes visits to the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, the Data Verification Center, the Cathay General Hospital, and the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum located in the southern city of Kaohsiung, among other activities.
At the end of March, the island received a visit from Paraguay’s Minister of Information and Communication Technologies, Gustavo Villate, who emphasized that the South American country will maintain its support “unconditionally” to Taiwan.
Paraguay established ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) in July 1957 and is currently the only country in South America with official relations with Taipei.
