Turkish Representative to Taiwan Muzaffer Eroktem said yesterday that Taiwan’s plan to open a representative office in Istanbul would proceed without delay, but he didn’t give a timeframe.
“The matter is pending,” the outgoing envoy told reporters in English on the sidelines of a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to award him the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy in recognition of his contributions to strengthening bilateral ties.
However, some processes still needed to be completed, he said, refusing to say if opposition from Beijing was behind delays in the plan. Taiwan made the proposal about a year ago.
Erkotem — who has served in the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 45 years and whose first and last overseas postings were in Taiwan in 1970-1971 and from 2008 until now — said he would become a visiting academic.
“I am not going to ‘retire.’ After I return to Turkey, I will continue to follow subjects [that I did] not complete during my tenure in Taipei … on aspects of culture and tourism in particular,” he said.
Praising Eroktem as a “highly skilled diplomat” and “an old friend of ours,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said bilateral relations had “become noticeably stronger” since Eroktem returned to Taipei two years ago.
Turkey is a key trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching US$960 million at the end of July, an increase of 62 percent compared with the same period last year, Yang said.
“We expect to set a new record this year,” he said.
Taiwan and Turkey also enjoy vibrant cultural exchanges, with both nations frequently inviting outstanding performers, groups and people to visit, Yang said.
The significant increase in the number of Taiwanese visiting Turkey was another indication that Eroktem’s efforts to promote his country has paid off, Yang said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
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