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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》St Lucian minister calls for deeper ties
Saint Lucian Minister of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation Alva Baptiste, left, meets with President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA
PROUD AND RESILIENT’: Alva Baptiste lauded Taiwan’s achievements, including on the economy and women’s rights, while Tsai Ing-wen called for more cooperative projects
By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
Saint Lucian Minister of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation Alva Baptiste yesterday said he hoped to deepen ties with Taiwan during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文）.
Baptiste, along with Saint Lucian Minister for Youth Development and Sports Kenson Casimir and Senator Lisa Jawahir, arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a five-day visit.
The purpose of the trip is “to renew our commitment to our bilateral relations,” which is built on mutual respect and trust, Baptiste said.
Ambassador to Saint Lucia Peter Chen （陳家彥） is familiar to Saint Lucians, due to Taiwan’s grassroots engagements in the country, which is important for people from both sides to deepen relations outside the political framework, he said.
The bond of friendship between Saint Lucia and Taiwan will continue to strengthen and the two nations will continue to work together to provide a better future for humanity, he said.
“As we focus on the common objectives of humanity, we will always look up to very important allies like Taiwan” to jointly confront challenges, he said.
Castries will continue to enhance the “symbiotic relationship that currently exists” with Taipei, he said, adding that “good partners like Taiwan will always have a very special place in my country.”
Baptiste said he was inspired by Taiwan’s progress, with growth that is able to rival more developed economies such as the UK, France and Germany.
Its impressive foreign-exchange reserves and trade surplus show that Taiwanese are “proud and resilient,” he said.
He also paid homage to Tsai and thanked Taiwanese for creating an environment “where women are equal and invaluable partners in development, which is undoubtedly positive and beneficial to the future of Taiwan,” he said.
Tsai thanked Saint Lucian Prime Minister Philip Pierre and Baptiste for repeatedly speaking out for Taiwan and supporting the nation’s international participation at global events.
Following on Pierre’s visit to Taiwan in November last year, the delegation’s trip “demonstrates the profound and extensive partnership” between the two sides and serves to further deepen bilateral cooperation and exchanges, she said.
Cooperation between Taiwan and Saint Lucia in the past few years has yielded fruitful results in various fields, she said, adding that she hoped the two sides could introduce more cooperative initiatives that harness the spirit of mutual assistance for mutual benefits, which can bring benefits and prosperity to both countries.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
