Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu presented Sweden Rep. Sven Hakan Oskar Jevrell with a state honor in recognition of his extensive efforts in deepening friendship and relations between Taiwan and the EU member country July 27 in Taipei City.
Wu, who bestowed the Order of Brilliant Star with Violet Grand Cordon on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen, described the head of the Swedish Trade and Invest Council as a true friend of Taiwan. He also praised him for his tireless work in advancing bilateral ties during a two-year tenure.
Under Jevrell’s watch, Wu said, Sweden became the first European nation to take part in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework. This engagement augurs well for expanded exchanges between the two sides going forward, he added.
GCTF, launched in 2015 by Taiwan and the U.S., aims to build capacity and strengthen multilateral cooperation among like-minded partners. On July 15, Taiwan, the U.S. and host Guatemala announced the first GCTF seminar for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Other countries involved in the potential-laden platform include Australia and Japan, which joined as a full partner last year. A total of 24 workshops featuring more than 600 experts and government officials from 39 countries have been staged to date.
In response, Jevrell thanked Wu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies for strongly supporting the council. Successful collaboration saw growth in the core areas of economy, education, technology and trade, he said, adding that this would have been impossible without a foundation of shared values like freedom, democracy and respect for human rights.
Jevrell assumed office in September 2017. He will finish duties next month before returning to Sweden. (TYT-E)
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