Wed, Dec 06, 2023 page3

• Sixty countries support Taiwan’s Interpol bid

  ‘TAIWAN CAN HELP’: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the global law enforcement network to uphold the principles of professionalism and neutrality

  • By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
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  More than 60 countries support Taiwan’s inclusion in Interpol, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

  Support for the nation’s bid to join Interpol has been rising, the ministry said, although Taiwan was not invited to its general assembly from Tuesday to Friday last week in Vienna.

  The ministry thanked administrative and legislative branches of governments, international parliamentary groups and officials from more than 60 countries that voiced support for Taiwan at the event.

  

  A man gestures in front of a board announcing the 91st Interpol General Assembly in Vienna on Nov. 27.

  Photo: AFP

  More countries have come to recognize the need to include Taiwan in the global system to combat transnational crime, it said.

  Taiwan’s diplomatic allies supported its bid by sending letters, issuing news releases and releasing videos, it said.

  Seven among them — Eswatini, Palau, Paraguay, Belize, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Marshall Islands, and Saint Kitts and Nevis — spoke up for Taiwan during the assembly, bringing the bid to the attention of representatives from all participating countries, the ministry said.

  Many national leaders — including from France, Australia, the UK, the US, Japan and Lithuania — have called for the inclusion of Taiwan in international organizations, including Interpol, in joint statements, it said.

  US senators introduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, while 32 US states, the Czech Republic, Poland, Brazil, Guatemala, and Saint Kitts and Nevis passed pro-Taiwan resolutions, it said.

  Opinion pieces written by Ministry of Justice Criminal Investigation Bureau Director-General Chou Yu-wei (周幼偉) and Taiwan’s representative offices abroad, as well as interviews with Taiwanese diplomats and reports supporting Taiwan, were published in international media, including the Washington Times, National Review, Voice of America, the Diplomat, and in Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain, Poland and Latvia, it said, adding that 162 reports have been published.

  A promotional video made by the Criminal Investigation Bureau had been viewed 870,000 times on the ministry’s Facebook and X accounts and its YouTube channel, the ministry said.

  An advertisement advocating the message that “Taiwan can help” was displayed at the Vienna International Airport and the event venue, it said.

  The ministry called on Interpol to uphold the principles of professionalism and neutrality, and to include Taiwan in the global law enforcement network as soon as possible.

  Combating transnational crime requires global cooperation, it said, adding that Taiwan should not be excluded because of political considerations.

  Taiwan joined Interpol in 1961, but was forced to withdraw in 1984 after the organization switched recognition to Beijing.

  Its participation has been blocked since then under a resolution passed at Interpol’s 53rd General Assembly the same year.
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