An opposition lawmaker yesterday alleged that Taipei City Government’s treatment of the Greek representative at the closing ceremony of the Taipei International Flora Expo earlier this week had upset Greece, prompting the latter to ban the display of the Republic of China flag at the Kifissia Flower Show being held near Athens.
Confirming that the country’s representative office in Athens had received similar information, Chen Po-hsiu (陳柏秀), executive secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ NGO Affairs Committee, said the ministry had contacted the Taipei City Government, the chief organizer of the expo, for more details about the issue.
“We are seeking a solution that will satisfy all parties involved,” Chen said at a news conference held by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲), adding that the ministry will do its utmost to make sure that the national flag is displayed at the Kifissia show.
According to Huang, both Greece and Oman sent official representatives to the flora expo’s closing ceremony on Monday.
The expo’s operation headquarters, however, failed to mention its appreciation of the two countries’ participation and did not arrange for their representatives to have their photos taken with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), Huang said.
As the Greek representative felt he was not treated with due respect at the closing ceremony, he filed a protest with the flora expo headquarters, but did not receive a response, Huang said.
He added that Greece and Oman had questioned the fairness of an international garden design contest held at the flora expo and demanded that the city government make public the scores of all the contestants. The city government turned a deaf ear to that request, the legislator said.
The Greek authorities’ decision to accept a demand by China that the Republic of China national flag be barred from the Kifissia show, which will run until the middle of next month, was in retaliation for the perceived snub, Huang said.
He said the Taipei City Government should apologize for its lapse in protocol toward Greece and Oman and should also make public the garden design competition scores to prevent any misunderstanding.
The ministry should also take action to repair the damage and resume good relations with the two countries, he added.
Speaking at the same news conference, Wang Yuan-ping (王遠平), deputy chief executive of the flora expo operation headquarters, said Hau had expressed thanks to all participating countries in the speech he delivered at the closing ceremony.
"The mayor feels sorry for causing anyone to feel offended for his failure to single out the participating countries one by one, " Wang said.
As to the garden design competition, Wang denied any irregularities and insisted that it had been open, fair and objective.
He said the expo headquarters would soon send proof of participation and letters of gratitude to all the countries represented at the 171-day expo.
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