Cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic over the past few months has provided more than 130,000 Ukrainians with clean drinking water and more than 100,000 with heating, Czech Governmental Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Tomas Kopecny said yesterday.
Kopecny arrived in Taiwan yesterday to discuss the outcomes and prospects of cooperation between Prague and Taipei after the two sides in November last year signed two agreements to partner on reconstruction work in Ukraine. He is to leave today.
The cooperative projects center on rebuilding water treatment facilities, power generation units and primary healthcare systems, Kopecny said, adding that they are expected to be completed in the next few months.
Photo: Reuters
While many countries are assisting Ukraine, the partnership between Taiwan and the Czech Republic is unique in its efficiency and specificity, and is only comparable to the largest donors such as the US, he said.
The projects are assisting areas close to the front lines that have been most heavily affected by Russia’s invasion, but have received relatively little help due to the risks involved, he said.
By working closely with local governments in Ukraine, the projects are more efficient as they do not involve the central government, which might take longer, he said.
Taiwan and the Czech Republic are complementary in their strengths, providing advanced medical products and hardware respectively, Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei head David Steinke said.
Focusing specifically on podiatry, gynecology, intensive care units and general surgery, the healthcare project helps by providing hospitals with necessary supplies, modernizing hospital rooms and training medical personnel, Kopecny said.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have benefited from the efforts of Taiwan and the Czech Republic in the past few months, he said, adding that the two sides are going to discuss future projects on a yearly basis.
Taiwanese should be proud of the outcome of the projects, which have helped expand international recognition of Taiwan as a humanitarian actor, he said.
Kopecny said that he is most impressed with how active the Taiwanese government and people have been in providing concrete assistance to Ukraine, despite being on the other side of the planet.
Kopecny yesterday also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), who expressed the hope that the kind deeds of Taipei and Prague would continue to be passed down.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it would continue working with the Czech government to help Ukraine against authoritarian expansion, safeguard shared values and promote well-being.
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
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS