Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said Aug. 13 that Latvia’s support of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in global affairs is deeply appreciated.
Hsiao made the remarks while receiving a Latvian parliamentary delegation at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. The group was led by Ingrīda Circene, chair of the Saeima’s Latvia-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, and the members’ itinerary includes meetings with Legislative Yuan President Daniel K.Y. Han and high-ranking officials of the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministries of Economic Affairs and National Defense, as well as visits to high-tech facilities during their Aug. 10-14 stay.
According to the vice president, there is great potential for cooperation between Taiwan and Latvia in industries like drones and remote systems. She added that although the two countries are geographically distant, their peoples are highly resilient and share similar experiences of modern democratization.
The meeting followed a luncheon hosted by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung Aug. 12 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Taipei. Circene said during the event that the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war has raised Latvia’s awareness of authoritarian expansion. The collaboration between Taiwan and Latvia was thus expanded from medical care and social welfare to national defense and security, she said, expressing hope that two partners will continue to deepen cooperation in the technology and artificial intelligence sectors.
Lin expressed agreement with Circene’s remarks, saying that Taiwan and Latvia both face cognitive operations, disinformation attacks and military threats from authoritarian neighbors. He added that he hopes both sides can work together to strengthen whole-of-society defense resilience, thereby safeguarding rules-based international order.
The foreign minister concluded by thanking Latvia for speaking in support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations at the World Health Assembly for three consecutive years. (YCH-E)
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