《TAIPEI TIMES》 Paraguay president-elect to visit Taipei

HIGH-RANKING DELEGATION: Pena called Tsai a ‘great friend,’ when describing the trip, which coincides with the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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Paraguayan president-elect Santiago Pena is to visit Taiwan from tomorrow until Saturday, during which time the two allies are to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs （MOFA） announced yesterday.

The Paraguayan delegation would also include a number of the incoming government’s senior officials, including foreign minister-designate Ruben Ramirez Lezcano, incoming presidential chief secretary Lea Gimenez Duarte, finance minister-designate Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos and incoming industry and commerce minister Francisco Javier Gimenez Garcia de Zuniga, MOFA said in a news release.

During his five-day visit, Pena is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文）, Vice President William Lai （賴清德）, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu （吳釗燮）, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua （王美花） and Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan （薛瑞元）, MOFA said.

The delegates would visit National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Taipei-based non-governmental organization World Vision Taiwan, as well as attend forums with local business representatives, it said.

Pena wrote on Twitter that he would visit Abu Dhabi, then travel to Taiwan to meet Tsai, who he described as a “great friend.”

“We are going to develop an intense international agenda in the coming days carrying the message that Paraguay and its people are up for great things,” he wrote.

Pena pledged during his election campaign to maintain Paraguay’s six decades of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, despite pressure from the local agricultural sector, which wants access to China’s soybean and beef markets.

Pena’s trip, ahead of his inauguration on Aug. 15, coincides with the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 12, 1957, making the visit even more meaningful, MOFA said.

Pena, a 44-year-old economist and former finance minister, won 43 percent of the votes in Paraguay’s April 30 presidential race, defeating center-left rival Efrain Alegre, who had campaigned on a pledge to cut diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of Beijing.

Pena’s victory eased fears that Taiwan would lose another ally.

The number of allies that maintain formal relations with Taiwan has dwindled to 13 in recent years, and Paraguay is the only country in South America to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

MOFA said that it plans to send representatives to attend Pena’s inauguration.

Diplomatic sources have told Reuters that Lai might attend as Taiwan’s representative, likely transiting through the US to meet US officials.

Additional reporting by Reuters

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES