Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) yesterday hailed the Czech Republic as a “Mecca of democracy” upon arrival in Prague, where Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil greeted the visiting Taiwanese delegation.
A cross-party delegation of lawmakers arrived at Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague at 9am on a Turkish Airlines flight.
You and Vystrcil embraced when they saw each other for the first time since Vystrcil visited Taiwan in September 2020 as the head of an 89-member delegation.
Photo: AFP
Speaking at a news conference immediately after their meeting, You said he is “at long last” visiting the Czech Republic as a pilgrim of sorts to the “Mecca of democracy.”
Hailing the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution of 1989 as movements still widely celebrated, You praised the unyielding spirit of the Czech people in their struggles for freedom.
The Taiwanese delegation is visiting in the hope of promoting friendship and parliamentary exchanges between the two nations, as well as deepening their cultural, technological and economic ties, You wrote on Facebook.
Another important goal is to thank Vystrcil for his 2020 visit, when he became the first parliamentary leader of a non-diplomatic ally to address the Legislative Yuan, he said.
“Vystrcil’s moving ‘I am Taiwanese’ speech not only deepened the friendship between our two nations, but also led Europe and the world to better understand Taiwan,” he added.
You and fellow legislators Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) of the Taiwan People’s Party; Yosi Takun and Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT); and Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰) of the Democratic Progressive Party are in the Czech Republic until Thursday.
They later yesterday were to pay their respects to late Czech president Vaclav Havel by presenting bouquets at his grave.
The delegation tomorrow is scheduled to meet with Vystrcil, three Czech Senate vice presidents and other senate officials, the Czech Senate said.
After the meeting, they are to pay their respects to former Czech Senate president Jaroslav Kubera, who served from 2018 until his death in January 2020, a month before he was scheduled to visit Taiwan.
You and Vystrcil are to hold a news conference tomorrow before the delegation departs on Thursday.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
LONG-HELD POSITION: Washington has repeatedly and clearly reiterated its support for Taiwan and its long-term policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday said that Taiwan should not be concerned about being used as a bargaining chip in the ongoing US-China trade talks. “I don’t think you’re going to see some trade deal where, if what people are worried about is, we’re going to get some trade deal or we’re going to get favorable treatment on trade in exchange for walking away from Taiwan,” Rubio told reporters aboard his airplane traveling between Israel and Qatar en route to Asia. “No one is contemplating that,” Reuters quoted Rubio as saying. A US Treasury spokesman yesterday told reporters
RSS