The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed two delegations of British and Paraguayan lawmakers who arrived in Taipei earlier in the day.
British lawmaker Bob Stewart, who cochairs the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, is leading the British delegation of cross-party legislators until Friday, the ministry said in a news release.
The delegation, which is in Taiwan at the government’s invitation, comprises British lawmakers Sarah Atherton, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Afzal Khan, Marie Rimmer and Rob Butler, the other cochair of the UK-Taiwan parliamentary group, the ministry said.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The group is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Chen Chien-ren (陳建仁) and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄), and attend banquets hosted by Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), it said.
Stewart, who is on his second trip to Taiwan, has since becoming the group’s cochair in 2021 shown strong support for the nation, including leading discussions about Taiwanese-British friendship and cooperation in February last year, the ministry said.
Stewart in March 2021 sent a letter to all members of the British House of Lords and House of Commons to voice concerns over China’s growing military threats, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The British government and parliament continue to pay attention to security issues across the Taiwan Strait, support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and seek opportunities to deepen bilateral relations, it said.
Taiwan and the UK are solid partners who value freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights, it said, adding that Taiwan would continue to work with like-minded states, including the UK, to bolster democratic resilience.
Separately, Paraguayan Senator Blas Antonio Llano Ramos and his wife were joined by Paraguayan Senator Fernando Alberto Silva Facetti and member of the Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies Guadalupe Aveiro on a five-day visit.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The delegation is to meet with Wu and You, and attend a banquet hosted by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui, the ministry said.
The group’s itinerary also includes visits to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council, the International Cooperation and Development Fund, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research and the Paraguayan embassy, it said.
Llano Ramos, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, has been a member of parliament for nearly 30 years and has led both chambers of the Paraguayan Congress, it said, adding that Silva Facetti and Aveiro have repeatedly voiced support for Taiwan-Paraguay ties in the country’s legislature.
The trip follows a visit by Chamber of Deputies President Carlos Maria Lopez, who was in Taiwan in January, indicating the South American country’s solid support for the nation, it said.
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