Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu delivered a keynote address at the GLOBSEC conference Oct. 26 in Slovakia, highlighting the government’s commitment to working closely with the EU member state in building the post-pandemic world.
Organized by Bratislava-headquartered think tank GLOBSEC, the conference aims to facilitate dialogue between government officials, experts and businesses from Taiwan and Central Europe. High-ranking participants include Ingrid Brockova, Slovakia secretary of state, and Pavol Demes, former Czechoslovakia minister of international relations.
Wu said Taiwan and Slovakia share the universal values of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. The country’s relations with the democratic partner are going from strength to strength amid the challenges posed by COVID-19, he added.
Case in point, Wu said, are bilateral agreements with Slovakia on double taxation avoidance, economic cooperation, reciprocal driver’s license recognition and working holiday arrangements. Such positive developments augur well for the further advancement of two-way ties benefiting the people, he said.
In addition to ongoing Taiwan-Slovakia private sector cooperation in green energy and smart machinery, Wu said, last month the European country co-hosted with Taiwan, the U.S. and Japan a Global Cooperation and Training Framework workshop on the post-pandemic future of work. The successful experience will be repeated in November when the countries team up in staging a GCTF event on combating disinformation, he added
Wu also took the opportunity to thank the Foreign Affairs Committee of Slovakia’s National Council for passing a resolution in May supporting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly.
In a tweet on its official twitter account, the MOFA said “Minister Wu delivered a strong @GLOBSEC address in #Slovakia. Top takeaways? #Taiwan is a key partner in building a resilient, prosperous post-pandemic world, & liberty won't be sacrificed, freedom won't be surrendered & democracy won't be defeated.” (SFC-E)
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