New Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Oscar Adolfo Padilla Lam yesterday invited President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to cohost a planned summit of states that maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei in the Central American nation.
Padilla said that as a staunch supporter of Taiwan, Guatemala had repeatedly expressed its support for the nation at bilateral and multilateral forums.
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei voiced support for Taiwan at the UN General Assembly in September, he said.
Photo: CNA
As a good friend of Taiwan, Guatemala is planning a summit in March of nations with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations, Padilla said.
The summit would serve as a platform for these allies to conduct closer exchanges with one another and to show their joint commitment to Taiwan, he said.
The summit would be hosted by Giammattei and the Guatemalan government had invited Tsai to cohost, he added.
“As Taiwan’s unchanging friend and ally, Guatemala intends to hold a high-level meeting of Taiwan-friendly countries in March to promote exchanges between friendly countries, and reaffirm recognition and support for the Republic of China, Taiwan,” Padilla said. “If President Tsai’s itinerary allows, I hope she can cochair such an important meeting with President Giammattei.”
The Guatemalan government has yet to release details of the planned summit, and it was not immediately clear if Tsai would travel to the nation and cohost.
Guatemala is one of 14 UN member states that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The ambassador made the remarks yesterday morning as he presented his credentials to Tsai during a ceremony at the Presidential Office.
Padilla had already presented a copy of his credentials to Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Nov. 11.
In her address, Tsai welcomed Padilla, describing him as an old friend of Taiwan and adding that he had first visited the nation in 1992.
Tsai said that she expected Padilla’s appointment to facilitate even closer bilateral relations on all fronts.
In a Presidential Office statement, Tsai did not say whether she would take up the invitation to cohost the summit.
Padilla previously served as Guatemala’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, as well as the nation’s consul general in Vancouver and Arizona, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ambassador has visited Taiwan four times, including in 1996, when he took part in a foreign ministry-sponsored training program.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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