The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed Lithuanian Vice Minister of Agriculture Vytenis Tomkus, who is leading the sixth high-level delegation to Taiwan from the European nation in the past year.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Lee (李淳) hosted a banquet at the ministry on Thursday night to welcome the delegation, the ministry said in a press release.
Taiwan and Lithuania continue to improve relations in fields including agriculture, with great outcomes, Lee said at the banquet.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via CNA
Since last year, Taiwan has permitted imports of Lithuanian aquatic, dairy and processed egg products, and opened to door to beef and eggs this year, he said.
It would be nice to see more products from Lithuania in Taiwan, he said.
There is great potential for the two sides to cooperate further in the machinery, technology and software fields, Lee said.
Tomkus said that he was honored to visit Taiwan for the first time and thanked the nation for its hospitality.
Taiwan and Lithuania held their first meeting on agricultural cooperation on Thursday, which was constructive and meaningful, he said.
The two sides expressed hope that cooperation would continue to deepen, and exchanged opinions on industrial development, mutual investment, economic affairs and trade, and the war between Russia and Ukraine, the ministry said.
Tomkus is to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation between the two nations, it added.
The delegation on Wednesday attended the opening of the Food Taipei Mega Shows at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, where Lithuania is showcasing its beer and chocolates, and visited agricultural research institutions, the ministry said.
The trip can help bolster cooperation between the governments and businesses from both sides, and open up more opportunities to work together, it said.
Tomkus’ delegation followed ones led by Lithuanian Vice Minister of the Economy and Innovation Karolis Zemaitis in February and Lithuanian Committee on National Security and Defense Chairman Laurynas Kasciunas in January, the ministry added.
Frequent visits by senior Lithuanian officials “fully demonstrate the close relations between Taiwan and Lithuania,” it said.
Lee this month returned from a trip to the European country, during which he announced that the ministry was to contribute US$5 million to reconstruction projects in Ukraine initiated by Vilnius.
Separately, visiting Italian Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio on Thursday said he hoped to obtain the signatures of all 200 Italian senators to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA).
Taiwan should be allowed to share its successful experience in combating COVID-19 at the WHA, Centinaio said during a meeting with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun.
As a member of the Italy-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, Centinaio has been introducing bills beneficial to the bilateral relationship and persuaded 13 lawmakers to sign a petition in support of Taiwan’s participation in the WHA, he said, adding that he could do more.
He hopes to promote Italy’s high-quality agricultural products, food and tourism in Taiwan, and help match businesses from both sides to facilitate investment, he said.
The Italian delegation is scheduled to depart Taiwan on Monday.
Additional reporting by Hsieh Chun-lin
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
RSS