A Taiwanese legislative friendship group aimed at building closer ties with Kosovo on Monday was formed during a videoconference with the Kosovo-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, which was established at the same time.
The Taiwanese group, which is made up of 39 lawmakers from across party lines, was assembled by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), who is chairman of the group, while DPP Legislator Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) is the vice chairman, Lo’s office said in a statement.
The Kosovar Assembly’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora on June 15 approved a motion to establish a parliamentary group to develop ties with Taiwan.
Photo: screen grab from Facebook
The motion was proposed by five Kosovar lawmakers from across the political spectrum, including Adriana Matoshi of the ruling Levizja Vetevendosje party.
Lo then contacted the five lawmakers and they established the two parliamentary friendship groups to increase legislative exchanges, improve mutual understanding and expand the two nations’ international space, Lo’s office said.
Hailing the establishment of the legislature’s first parliamentary friendship group with a Balkan nation, Lo said that the videoconference was a major step in the development of relations between lawmakers in Taiwan and Kosovo.
The two nations have many things in common, such as the pursuit of sovereignty and democratic values, and both are struggling for economic survival and international recognition, he said.
When Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Taiwan was among a handful of nations that immediately recognized its independence, he added.
Matoshi, who leads the Kosovo-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, did not attend the videoconference as she was in hospital, but several members of the group were present, including Blerta Deliu-Kodra of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, who is vice chairwoman of the group.
Deliu-Kodra said during the videoconference that there was plenty of room to expand exchanges between Taiwan and Kosovo, and that the establishment of the groups marked an important stage in the development of bilateral relations.
Most importantly, Taiwan and Kosovo, as two democratic nations, would fight against authoritarianism side by side, Deliu-Kodra said.
During the videoconference, the two groups agreed to conduct parliamentary exchanges, and facilitate economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
They also welcomed visits by group members next year, a statement said.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)