Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Wednesday returned from Saint Kitts and Nevis, where he attended the celebration of the nation’s 40th anniversary of independence and signed an agreement to cooperate on training diplomatic personnel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
As a special envoy of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Wu visited Taiwan’s diplomatic ally in the Caribbean from Monday to Wednesday, the ministry said in a news release.
Wu presented Saint Kitts and Nevis Governor-General Marcella Liburd and Prime Minister Terrance Drew with personally written congratulatory letters from Tsai and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Caribbean country.
Wu thanked Saint Kitts and Nevis for its long-standing support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, the ministry said.
The parliament of Saint Kitts and Nevis in April unanimously passed a resolution supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN, the WHO, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Interpol and the International Civil Aviation Organization, it said.
During his visit, Wu signed an agreement on diplomatic personnel training, exchanges and cooperation with Saint Kitts and Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs Denzil Douglas, which is an “important milestone” in the diplomatic relations, the ministry said.
The foreign ministries from both sides would arrange bilateral visits, and collaborate on foreign language education and professional training, as well as policy research and analysis based on the agreement, it said, adding that the agreement could help strengthen mutual trust and understanding, and deepen the ties between the two sides, .
Liburd and Premier Mark Brantley hosted a banquet for Wu, thanking Taiwan for assisting the country’s social and economic development, the ministry said.
Accompanied by Brantley, Wu visited the Malcolm Guishard Recreational Park, which was built with Taiwan’s support and learned about the achievements of Taiwan’s Mandarin-language teachers based locally, it said.
In Taipei, Chen said that he hoped Taiwan and Saint Kitts and Nevis could continue to bolster bilateral ties and be each other’s important friends when he attended the celebration of the Caribbean country’s independence on Wednesday.
Saint Kitts and Nevis Ambassador to Taiwan Donya Francis said that the friendship between the two countries could definitely last for another 40 years and longer, adding that his government would continue to speak out for Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations.
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