President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday received the credentials of new Nicaraguan Ambassador Mirna Mariela Rivera Andino at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
Tsai welcomed Rivera to her new post and described her as living testimony to a Taiwan scholarship program, which has benefited more than 10,000 foreign students since it was established in 2004.
“The reason why we set up the scholarship program was to attract younger generations from our allies to study in Taiwan and become a bridge for bilateral exchanges,” Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
“Ambassador Rivera is an excellent testimony to the cooperation between our two countries. I believe that she will become a strong promoter of more bilateral projects for more fruitful relations,” she added.
Rivera was a recipient of a Taiwan scholarship program and graduated from Ming Chuan University in 2018, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tsai said that Taiwan and Nicaragua have close trade ties despite the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the growth of seafood imports from Nicaragua to Taiwan in the first eight months of the year and a virtual trade expo last month to promote Taiwanese products in the Central American country.
Mail and package deliveries between Taiwan and Nicaragua are expected to be cheaper and faster after the postal offices of both countries signed an express mail service agreement earlier this month, Tsai added.
She also thanked Nicaragua for speaking up for Taiwan during the UN General Assembly and expressed the hope that the two countries could continue to support each other.
Rivera, for her part, relayed warm greetings to Tsai on behalf of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
“President Ortega has referred to President Tsai as a ‘sister’ during a visit she made to Nicaragua in 2017. For Nicaragua, Taiwan is not only a cooperation partner, but more of a close friend,” Rivera said.
The ambassador, who is only in her 20s, said that her country, which affords importance to the empowerment of women, admires Tsai’s leadership and her resolve to promote bilateral relations.
Nicaragua is one of Taiwan’s nine diplomatic allies in the Caribbean and Latin American region.
Rivera formally assumed office on Oct. 14 after presenting a copy of her credentials to Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
She took over from William Manuel Tapia Aleman, who departed this summer after serving for nearly 13 years in Taiwan.
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