Overt reliance on a state harboring ill will against Taiwan would inevitably hurt the freedom and democracy in the nation along with its sovereignty, Czech Senator Pavel Fischer said when he met with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
Taiwan and the Czech Republic share universal values such as freedom, respect for the rule of law and democracy, Fischer said, adding that the world is in a dangerous situation.
Europe has seen how energy provision has been weaponized following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how it could threaten many countries’ economic foundations, Fischer said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The world must learn these lessons before it is too late, he said.
The Czech parliament is working to shore up energy safety, and it was suggested that Prague should take measures to bolster the nation against a hostile Russia, Fischer said.
National security is of utmost importance, and overreliance on a hostile state could damage the freedom, democracy and sovereignty of a nation, he said.
Fischer thanked You for his speech during his visit to the Czech Republic in July last year. There is a communist threat in the world, he said, adding that there is still much work that needs to be done to foster collaboration between democratic countries.
Fischer also thanked Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) for the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy, conferred to him on Tuesday, saying that the medal represented not only his past efforts, but also his pledge to the nation to continue to foster Taiwan-Czech friendship.
You thanked Fischer for his statements on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), referring to Taiwan-Czech relations as interactions between international legal personalities on July 20 last year.
Taiwan is not a part of China and both sides are two separate states separated by the Taiwan Strait, You said, adding that Beijing continues to dismiss the reality and threatens Taiwan militarily, resulting in heightened regional and global tensions.
The international community is increasingly aware of these facts, and many Southeast Asian nations have taken action, You said.
As long as people have the courage and they are responsible, Taiwan will continue to safeguard global peace and stop the Chinese Communist Party from pursuing its ambitions of becoming a global empire, he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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