October 7, 2014
No. 210
President Horacio Cartes of the Republic of Paraguay arrived in Taipei on October 7, leading a delegation on a four-day state visit to attend the National Day celebrations of the Republic of China (ROC). The Paraguayan delegation comprises 14 members, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Eladio Loizaga, President Cartes’ daughter Sofía Cartes and sister Sarah Cartes, General Secretary of Presidency Juan Carlos López Moreira, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Jorge Raúl Gattini, Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare Antonio Barrios, Minister of Industry and Commerce Gustavo Leite, and the President’s private secretary Fernando Ojeda and Political Advisor Darío Filártiga.
This is President Cartes’ first state visit to the ROC. To extend a warm welcome and stress the importance of this visit, President Ma Ying-jeou welcomed him with a military salute at National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and later hosted a banquet for the delegation at the Office of the President. The two heads of state will sign a joint communiqué, and President Ma will confer the Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon upon President Cartes in recognition of his dedication and contributions to consolidating diplomatic ties between the ROC and Paraguay. President Cartes will also call on Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, who will host a banquet in the president’s honor. During the visit, President Cartes will preside over a Paraguayan investment briefing for Taiwan businesspeople and lunch with them.
President Cartes led the National Republican Association (Colorado Party) to victory in Paraguay’s general elections on April 21, 2013. Since taking office last year on August 15, he has devoted enormous effort to strengthening his nation, eradicating poverty, bolstering infrastructure, and implementing a number of other policies, winning him the widespread support of his people.
Since the ROC and Paraguay established diplomatic relations 57 years ago, the countries have enjoyed close cooperation in the areas of the economy, trade, military affairs, medical care, education, and agriculture, yielding fruitful results. Based on this strong foundation, the two will continue to promote more cooperative projects that will benefit the peoples of both countries. (E)