President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Wednesday said his administration would study the aid programs requested by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega after the two leaders held talks that were broadcast live on local television.
Ma described how he responded to the requests at a press conference held jointly with Ortega. Taiwanese reporters covering the presidential visit were not informed of the press conference and had to rely on TV reports to find out what was being said.
According to Ma, Ortega asked for assistance with irrigation projects and the construction of a new port.
Photo: CNA, provided by the Presidential Office
As part of the consensus reached during the 80-minute meeting, Ma said that the two sides agreed that Taiwanese experts on irrigation would go to Nicaragua to assess the country’s needs and the types of assistance that Taiwan could provide.
On the possibility of Taiwan taking over a previously abandoned port project, Ma said he would ask Managua to provide information for Taiwan to study before making a decision.
Ma said a third point of his consensus with Ortega is that the Nicaraguan president might visit Taiwan “in the near future.”
Ma has made two trips to the Central American nation in the past six years.
After arriving in Managua from Haiti on Wednesday morning, Ma attended what was described as a “closed-door meeting.”
However, it turned out that the Nicaraguan side had made arrangements for local media outlets to broadcast the discussion as it happened. Ortega then told Ma that there would be a joint press conference after their meeting.
In an evening gathering with Taiwanese reporters covering the presidential visit, Ma said that Ortega did not ask Taiwan to cover the construction expenses of the port project, but rather asked Taiwan to help with planning.
Ma said he hoped the Nicaraguan side could provide a more specific proposal about the project so that the Taiwanese delegation could “bring it back and evaluate.”
The president said he believes the assistance that Taiwan has provided to its diplomatic allies would not be wasted and would “bear fruit step by step” in the long term.
He has promised not to engage in “checkbook diplomacy,” but has instead made a point of “spending money where it matters,” Ma said.
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