Legislators yesterday inaugurated six new associations, including parliamentary friendship groups with Turkish, European, Latin American and Austronesian legislatures.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Hui-yuan (賴惠員) led the effort to found the Taiwan-Turkiye Parliamentary Amity Association and is to serve as chairwoman.
The association would seek to bolster existing friendship and cooperation between the two sides, while looking to enhance tourism with more weekly direct flights, Lai told an event at the legislature in Taipei.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Turkish Representative to Taiwan Muhammed Berdibek was the guest of honor, along with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hsieh Wu-chiao (謝武樵) and six other DPP legislators, including Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), Michelle Lin (林楚茵) and Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱).
In her address, Lai said that the two countries have long-standing collaboration in business, trade, agriculture technology and exports, reaching US$6 billion in total trade value last year.
“We look forward to expanding trade and cooperation in business, science and technology, and agriculture, as well as enhancing
tourism for more Taiwanese to visit the beautiful country of Turkey,” Lai said, adding that she plans to travel there with other legislators in July or August this year.
Berdibek welcomed the visit by legislators and all Taiwanese, saying the whole country is open for tourism.
There are four direct flights weekly between Taiwan and Istanbul, which serves as the hub to other regions of the country, he said.
“We look forward to expanding the tourism sector, but also for more trade between our countries and cooperation in other sectors,” he said.
He mentioned a number of sister-city arrangements and university science and technology programs, as well as Turkish students coming to Taiwan for degree programs and technical training.
Lai said that although Taiwan and Turkey are geographically far apart, “citizens in both countries cherish peace and democracy in pursuit of progress... So we are natural partners and supportive friends on the world stage.”
When Taiwan experienced the Jiji Earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, Turkey immediately sent its “AKUT” rescue team to arrive in Taiwan the next day as the first international unit to arrive, Lai said.
“Last year when southern Turkey was hit by a devastating earthquake, more than 16,000 Taiwanese donated to the cause, sending more than 400 tonnes of goods, more than NT$900 million (US$28.6 million), more than 100 trained rescue workers and five sniffer dogs for assistance," she added.
The amity group could promote closer links between parliamentarians of both countries for cooperation between government departments to meet the challenges of a globalized world, Lai said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS