■ DIPLOMACY
MOFA keeps Caracas office
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it does not plan to close down its Caracas office in the near future despite Venezuela’s unfriendliness toward Taiwan. Since March last year, Venezuela has discontinued issuing tourist visas to Taiwanese nationals. It was reported that the administration of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had tried to shut down Taiwan’s representative office as a gesture to curry favor with Beijing. Currently, the office is headed by a secretary-general and all Taiwanese foreign services personnel are only granted short-term renewable visas.
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