The government on Thursday pledged to take legal action against Nicaragua over the Central American country’s confiscation of Taiwan’s former embassy, after the nations ended official diplomatic relations earlier this month.
Taipei condemned Managua for the “unlawful” confiscation of its former diplomatic property, while demanding that Nicaragua reverse its action immediately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“Taiwan will pursue appropriate international legal proceedings to protect its diplomatic property and ensure that Nicaragua is held accountable for its internationally wrongful act,” it said without elaborating.
Photo: Richie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
The announcement came after Nicaraguan media reported that its government would confiscate Taiwan’s former embassy premises, which Taipei had handed over to the Catholic Church before Taiwanese staff departed, following the severance of official ties on Dec. 10.
As Nicaragua recognizes only “one China” represented by Beijing, the Nicaraguan government said the property belongs to the People’s Republic of China, La Prensa reported on Monday.
Taiwan has previously protested the decision, saying that it decided to sell its embassy premises to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua for the symbolic price of US$1 after the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega set a two-week deadline for Taiwanese staff to leave by Thursday last week.
To ensure its assets were properly secured, Taiwan sold the property, with both sides sealing the transfer, which was witnessed by a local lawyer on Wednesday last week, the ministry said.
The ministry on Thursday said the premises and property of the former Embassy of the Republic of China in Nicaragua are diplomatic assets legally procured by the Taiwanese government from 1990.
Citing Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the ministry said that Nicaragua should honor its obligations under international law to protect the premises and property of the embassy following the termination of diplomatic relations.
Instead of doing so, Nicaragua refused to accept an agreement Taiwan reached to entrust the custody of its former embassy with a third country, the ministry said.
The rejection was made in contravention of international conventions, it said, adding that due to extreme time constraints, Taiwan sold its premises to the Catholic Church.
The ministry said that the unlawful behavior of Beijing and Managua in seizing and encroaching upon property that Taiwan had already sold to the Catholic Church “cannot be tolerated under the rules-based international legal order, and will undoubtedly be met with disdain in the civilized world.”
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