Slovakia will stand with Taiwan as it resists strong powers that threaten democracy, Deputy Speaker of the Slovak National Council Milan Laurencik told President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Taipei yesterday.
During the meeting, Laurencik, the head of a visiting delegation from the central European nation, said that Taiwan and Slovakia have gone through long and difficult journeys to achieve democracy.
Laurencik said his country would stand with Taiwan to guard against external interference.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office via AP
The two countries are geographically distant from each other, but have been drawn closer through their shared values, Laurencik said, adding that Slovakians and Taiwanese cherish democracy and freedom.
Similarly, Tsai said she looked forward to seeing the two countries deepen their cooperation on “consolidating the democratic defense.”
Taiwan and Slovakia have teamed up on numerous global issues, including sharing medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic and providing aid to Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia amid the ongoing Russian invasion, Tsai said.
The two countries signed 16 memorandums of understanding in December last year during the inaugural Taiwan-Slovakia Economic Consultation in Taipei, Tsai said.
These agreements have paved the way for bilateral collaborations on research and development, trade, space technology and semiconductors, she added.
Juraj Droba, president of the Bratislava Region in western Slovakia, invited Tsai to visit the Slovakian capital “when future conditions permit.”
Droba also said he would sign a cooperation agreement between Bratislava and Kaohsiung when he travels to the southern city to meet with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Friday.
He pledged to facilitate bilateral ties between Kaohsiung and Bratislava, especially in the fields of technology and trade, while encouraging academic exchanges between the two sides.
The delegation, which arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a six-day visit, also includes Peter Osusky, a Slovak lawmaker and chairman of the Slovakia-Taiwan Parliamentary Group, and parliamentarians Anna Zemanova, Tomas Lehotsky, Miroslav Ziak and Andrej Stancik, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
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