The Czech Republic stands with Taiwan in any circumstance, Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova told lawmakers during a plenary session at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
“The stories of the Czech Republic and Taiwan are intertwined, and developing freedom and democracy is our common responsibility. Our dear colleagues in the Legislative Yuan and people of Taiwan, I want to assure you that we are with you now and will continue to be with you. In any circumstance, we are in the same boat. We are with you, as you are with us,” Adamova said, before ending her speech by saying “Thank you” in Mandarin.
Before the speech, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) presented Adamova with the Legislative Yuan First-Class Medal of Honor for her contributions to Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
She is the first female parliamentary speaker from a non-diplomatic ally to address the Legislative Yuan and to be recognized with the medal, You said.
In her speech, Adamova spoke of the importance of treasuring hard-earned democracy, as well as advocating and practicing democratic values, as they are now under threat from authoritarian regimes, who use “sweet nothings” as a shield for their crimes against humanity.
“People in our generation tend to take our choices for granted: having free speech as well as the freedom to hold elections, read books, travel and develop our talents. We thought we could have these choices forever, but that is not so,” she said. “All these could be gone quickly if we stop treasuring and protecting them... Many of us also naively thought that wars would never return in our lifetime. However, we have witnessed in the past year how a brutal war and clear violations of international laws have happened in Ukraine, which is less than 400km away from the Czech Republic. The distance is similar to that between Taipei and Kaohsiung.”
Photo: CNA
In his address to both houses of the Czech Republic in June last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: “We are with you, be with us,” a sentence that was repeatedly sounded over the radio in Prague during the occupation of then-Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops in 1968, she said.
“It was after Zelenskiy’s speech that Czechs realized that our stories are intertwined, and we will always stand on the side of freedom, democracy and human rights,” she said.
Adamova said that she was deeply impressed by her visit to the National Center of Traditional Arts in Yilan County and would recommend it as a must-see tourist attraction to everybody.
Photo: CNA
Travel to Taiwan would be greatly facilitated through the soon-to-be launched direct flights between Taipei and Prague, she added.
You in his welcoming remarks said that Taiwan and the Czech Republic have broken the ice and made tremendous progress since 2020 following the visit of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, who was the first parliamentary speaker from a non-diplomatic ally to address the legislature.
“Vystrcil’s visit was like a swallow in the spring, carrying the message of supporting a democratic Taiwan... Since then, we have seen growth in bilateral trade in two consecutive years, with growth reaching 20.25 percent last year,” You said.
“His visit also motivated other high-ranking officials from democratic countries in Europe to visit Taiwan. It raised the profile of Taiwan and opened the way for Taiwan to reach other nations in Europe,” he said.
Adamova’s visit also sends a strong message of support from a democratic ally and brought the spirit of defiance against authoritarians to Taiwan, as shown in the “Prague Spring” in 1968 and the “Velvet Revolution” in 1989, he said.
Bolstering the partnership is in Prague’s interests, he added.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
LEISURE: The new law adds Confucius’ birthday, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, Constitution Day and Little New Year as national holidays The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed new legislation adding four national holidays and making Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party used their combined majority in the legislature to push the jointly proposed draft through its third and final reading. This new law supersedes the existing regulations for the implementation of memorial days and state holidays, which are administered by the Ministry of the Interior. The new law recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou on Oct. 25, Constitution Day on Dec. 25 and “Little New Year,”