Saint Lucia foreign minister seeks to strengthen relations with Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
03/13/2023 07:45 PM
Taipei, March 13 (CNA) Visiting Saint Lucia External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation Minister Alva Baptiste said Monday that the current trip seeks to strengthen his country's commitment to bilateral relations with Taiwan.
"We do not auction foreign policy in Saint Lucia, we don't go for the highest bidder, we have principles in what we do, so we are developing a genuine partnership with the people of Taiwan and the government as the instrument of their wishes," Baptiste said at the Embassy of Saint Lucia in Taipei.
Baptiste, who arrived on Monday, said he is in Taiwan to renew Saint Lucia's commitment to bilateral relations and his trip follows that of Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip Pierre, who visited Taiwan from Nov. 28-Dec. 2 in 2022.
"Certainly, it is a clear signal that we appreciate the current arrangements that we have in terms of our diplomatic relations, and we want to strengthen our diplomatic relations," said Baptiste, who is visiting Taiwan for the fourth time.
Baptiste praised Taiwan's efforts at assisting its allies during the COVID-19 pandemic and its direct involvement in his country's infrastructure development projects.
"We are here to develop a true friendship and to of course strengthen our bilateral ties and to cooperate with Taiwan," Baptiste said. "This is why we opened the embassy in Taiwan, as a mark of respect and as an indication that we are not just engaged in 'touch-and-go'."
The Saint Lucia Embassy in Taiwan was officially opened in October 2015.
Saint Lucia is committed to having Taiwan participate in international organizations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations, Baptiste said.
"It's a clear manifestation of our level of interest in seeing Taiwan participate meaningfully in international communities," Baptiste said.
Baptiste and his delegation will stay in Taiwan until Friday, during which time he is expected to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to discuss cooperative projects, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Sunday.
Baptiste will also meet with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and visit the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and a local flight academy, MOFA said.
Baptiste's delegation, which includes Youth and Sports Minister Kenson Casimir and Senator Lisa Jawahir, will also visit Taiwan's Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association, MOFA said.
"Table tennis seems to be something that our young athletes from primary school seem to get a grasp on pretty well in Saint Lucia. We have expanded table tennis to almost every secondary school on the island within the last two years," Casimir said.
He hopes to promote table tennis more at a communal level so that community centers and basic infrastructure for table tennis are also made available to Saint Lucian young people as a way of getting them off the streets, Casimir added.
(By William Yen)
Enditem/AW
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