Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Ruben Ramirez Lezcano on Friday signed a reciprocal visa-free agreement in Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Ramirez and senior officials arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday for a four-day visit and met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office on Thursday before signing the agreement at the ministry on Friday.
Lin wrote on Facebook that to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Paraguay in 2017, the two countries had announced that Taiwanese and Paraguayans would enjoy reciprocal visa-free treatment for stays of up to 90 days (effective from July 12 that year), but an official agreement had not been inked.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Lin also expressed his gratitude to Ramirez for visiting Taiwan in person and signing the official agreement with him at the ministry.
It is the second time Ramirez has visited Taiwan this year.
The previous visit was in May, when Ramirez and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena attended Lai’s inauguration ceremony, Lin said.
The visits demonstrated the deep and close friendship between the two countries, he added.
Ramirez during the meeting with Lai stressed Paraguay’s unshakable friendship with Taiwan and said that Paraguay would continue to deepen diplomatic relations with and support for Taiwan, Lin said.
Lin said he also thanked Pena and Ramirez for supporting Taiwan’s international participation, including voicing their support for Taiwan’s inclusion during UN General Assembly and World Health Assembly meetings.
Economic and trade relations between the two countries are flourishing, as the ministry is using Taiwan’s technological strength to help Paraguay’s second-largest city, Ciudad del Este, in establishing a Taiwan-Paraguay smart technology park, he said.
Taiwan is Paraguay’s largest export market for pork, second-largest for beef and third-largest for sesame, Lin said, adding that the nation would continue to work towards reducing tariffs for 19 types of imported items from Paraguay, which would be beneficial for bilateral trade volume, create about 25,000 job opportunities in Paraguay and allow Taiwanese to enjoy Paraguayan products at lower prices.
After signing the agreement on Friday, Lin hosted a banquet for Ramirez and the Paraguayan delegation, during which the two sides exchanged ideas on how to continue deepening diplomatic relations and further bilateral economic and trade exchanges, the ministry said.
They also discussed seeking a trilateral cooperation with the US, it added.
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