Tsai receives St. Lucia ambassador’s credentials, vows to bolster bilateral ties

2018/06/25

President Tsai Ing-wen received the credentials of St. Lucia Ambassador Edwin Laurent at the Office of the President June 19 in Taipei City, vowing to further strengthen ties between Taiwan and the Caribbean ally.
 
 It is a great honor to welcome a seasoned diplomat such as Laurent, Tsai said. His appointment underscores the importance St. Lucia places on relations with Taiwan, she added.
 
 Laurent, who takes over from Ambassador Hubert Emmanuel, started his career with St Lucia’s Ministry of Finance and was later appointed permanent secretary of the Ministry of Trade Industry and Tourism. He went on to hold a number of ambassadorships to countries like Belgium, France and Germany, as well as serving as permanent representative to the World Trade Organization.

 According to the president, Taiwan and St. Lucia enjoy a strong friendship based on the shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights. Over the years, the two countries have capitalized on this firm foundation and pursued a variety of successful cooperative projects spanning agriculture, education, fisheries, information and communication technology, and public health, she said.
 
 Highlights include the Banana Black Sigatoka Prevention and Treatment program launched in 2013 to help restore banana production capacity in St. Lucia, and a medical volunteer exchange initiative between Changhua Christian Hospital in central Taiwan and St. Jude Hospital.
 
 Tsai also took the opportunity to thank Laurent for St. Lucia’s long-standing and unwavering support of Taiwan in the global community. This includes calling for the country’s meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization, U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and World Health Assembly, she said.
 
 The president said she looks forward to closer collaboration between the two sides, and requested Laurent to pass her best wishes on to Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. The leader of St. Lucia made a state visit to Taiwan Nov. 10-13, 2017, his second since taking office in June the year before.
 
 Rest assured, Taiwan will take every opportunity to expand exchanges with St. Lucia while creating more opportunities for mutually beneficial tie-ups in areas of overlapping interest, Tsai added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=136614)