The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed a recent pledge by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Prime Minister Godwin Friday that his government would maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Friday, who assumed office in late November last year as the Pacific ally’s leader, made the affirmation during a radio interview, a Vincentian report published on Saturday said.
“Our diplomatic relations with Taiwan remain, as do our relations with all countries with which we have diplomatic ties,” Friday was quoted as saying in the front-page report.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“We have not changed our position with respect to any country,” he said during an interview on Boom 106.9 FM, the Vincentian reported.
Friday also reassured Vincentian students in Taiwan, many of whom are on scholarships from the Taiwanese government, that their studies would not be affected.
The ministry said in a statement that Taiwan “welcomes and appreciates” the SVG leader’s open pledge to maintain his country’s decades-long relations with Taiwan.
Since Friday assumed office on Nov. 28 last year, he has repeatedly affirmed that SVG’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan would remain unchanged and has maintained close exchanges with Taiwan’s embassy, the ministry said.
It said it would continue close communications with the SVG government to deepen bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both countries’ people.
Taiwan established diplomatic relations with SVG in 1981.
Friday’s New Democratic Party has previously proposed switching recognition from Taipei to Beijing, although he did not publicly address the issue during the campaign.
He was sworn in after the party won 14 of the 15 parliamentary seats in November’s general election, ending former Vincentian prime minister Ralph Gonsalves’ 24-year rule.
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