April 2, 2024
No.123
Mongolia has been hit since February by its most severe snowfall in half a century. On April 2, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for West Asian and African Affairs Anthony Chung-yi Ho visited the Ulaanbaatar Trade and Economic Representative Office in Taipei on behalf of Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu. On behalf of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), he conveyed sympathies to Mongolian Representative Gankhuyag Tumurbaatar and donated US$100,000. The aid will be evenly divided between the Mongolian Red Cross Society and the Holy See’s Caritas Mongolia to assist in the recovery efforts and help disaster victims. Rev. Monsignor Stefano Mazzotti, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Apostolic Nunciature in Taiwan, also attended the meeting.
Director General Ho cited Taiwan and Mongolia’s close exchanges and longtime friendship, and expressed the heartfelt consideration of the people and government of Taiwan for their Mongolian friends impacted by the most severe snowfall in decades, adding that they would work with the Mongolian Red Cross Society and Caritas Mongolia to assist in the postdisaster recovery work.
Representative Tumurbaatar said that the harsh winter had hit Mongolia hard, with many herders facing major livelihood challenges. He thanked Taiwan for its warm friendship and charitable donation on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and people of Mongolia. He promised to ensure that the aid would be delivered to disaster victims and expressed confidence that Taiwan-Mongolia relations would grow even closer.
Chargé d’Affaires Mazzotti commended Caritas Mongolia for its years of efforts to assist people in need and its commitment to enhancing their well-being through cooperation in areas such as education, emergency response, and food security. He also affirmed and thanked Taiwan for working with Caritas Mongolia and for the generous donation.
In recent years, exchanges between Taiwan and Mongolia have grown ever closer across a wide range of domains, including education, culture, technology, health care, and climate change. In addition, Mongolia has become a popular tourist destination for Taiwan nationals. Taiwan hopes that the postdisaster recovery efforts in Mongolia will go smoothly and that life will return to normal for those affected as soon as possible. (E)