A delegation from the National Security Bureau (NSB) on Friday wrapped up an exchange training program in Guatemala, the first collaboration between the two countries’ special security forces.
At a ceremony held after the conclusion of the program, NSB Special Service Command Center deputy head Lee Ching-jan (李慶然), who led the Taiwanese delegation, was given the “Iximche” medal by the Guatemalan government for his efforts in pushing for the collaboration.
The Guatemalan government confers the medal upon foreign nationals who have contributed to cooperation between their home countries and the Central American nation.
Photo: Screen grab from the Facebook page of the Republic of China’s embassy in Guatemala
The NSB said that was the first time a delegation from the Special Service Command Center participated in a training exchange with their counterparts from Guatemala.
The ceremony was attended by several top Guatemalan officials, including Guatemalan Minister of National Defense Henry David Saenz Ramos, Secretary General of the Presidency of Guatemala Juan Gerardo Guerrero Garnica and Guatemalan Secretariat of Administrative and Security Affairs Ivan Carpio Alfaro.
The command center said the program was an opportunity for its officers and their Guatemalan counterparts to conduct joint exercises on security and counterterrorism operations, and enhance their intelligence assessment and operational skills.
The collaboration not only benefited the special security forces of Taiwan and Guatemala, but also contributed to the deepening of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the NSB said.
Guatemala is one of 12 states which maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The two nations established ties in 1933.
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