Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Wednesday visited a non-profit organization that has been helping Ukrainian refugees get settled in the Czech Republic, and pledged Taiwan’s continued support for them.
A choir of Ukrainian refugee children performed a song and presented a cake to Wu and his wife during their visit to the People in Need headquarters in Prague, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release yesterday.
Welcoming the couple, People in Need executive director Simon Panek expressed his thanks to Taiwan and other global partners that have been helping the non-governmental organization assist Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, the Czech Republic has taken in about 500,000 Ukrainian refugees, Panek said.
Wu said that not only has Taiwan provided financial aid and disaster relief supplies for the refugees via humanitarian organizations, it has also joined the international community in condemning the invasion and imposing sanctions on Russia.
Taiwan will continue to work closely with the Czech Republic to support Ukraine until the invaders leave, he said.
As of February, the Taiwanese government and people had donated 27 tonnes of emergency medical supplies and 700 tonnes of humanitarian relief aid for Ukrainians, the ministry said.
Taiwan has also donated more than US$41 million to humanitarian organizations working with Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania to help settle Ukrainian refugees in those countries, the data showed.
Earlier on Wednesday, Wu attended the opening of the European Values Summit, with Czech President Petr Pavel delivering an address.
The one-day summit, held by the Czech-based European Values Center for Security Policy, marked the first time that a Taiwanese foreign minister was in the same public space as a NATO head of state, said Jakub Janda, director of the think tank.
The ministry said Wu’s visit to the Czech Republic was mainly for the one-day summit, which was in its ninth edition and was focused on security policy.
Wu arrived in the Czech Republic on Tuesday and met with Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil.
On Wednesday, he met informally for dinner with Marketa Pekarova-Adamova, head of the Czech lower house of parliament, her spokesperson said.
Wu visited Poland on his way to the Czech Republic and is expected to stop over in Brussels on his way home from Prague, international media reports said.
When asked at a press event in Prague about his reported travel agenda in Europe, Wu declined to give any details, saying only that he would take the opportunity to participate in as many events as possible.
“But the key to the success of a trip like this is to maintain a low profile,” he added.
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