Foreign Minister Wu addresses Formosa Club Europe, thanks members for...

2021/05/19

The backing of Formosa Club Europe lawmakers for Taiwan and its participation in international organizations like the World Health Organization is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, according to Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu May 17.
 
Such staunch support for the country’s expanded engagement with the global community further strengthens the will of the people to combat COVID-19, Wu said. This firm friendship is most welcome at a time of great difficulty, he added.
 
Wu made the remarks while addressing the club’s inaugural virtual meeting from the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei City.
 
During the freewheeling dialogue, Wu reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to promoting freedom, democracy and shared values worldwide. He also took the opportunity to publicly stand with Michael Gahler, chair of the European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group, and Samuel Cogolati, co-chair of the Belgian-Taiwan Friendship Group, as they face retaliatory sanctions for supporting Taiwan from China.
 
According to the MOFA, the club sent a letter to WHO Secretary-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus May 12 to express grave concern over the U.N. specialized agency’s exclusion of Taiwan. Signed by co-chairs and over 1,000 legislators from European parliaments, the letter highlights how Taiwan Can Help realize the WHO’s goal of Health for All by boosting the global response to the pandemic, the ministry added.
 
In a tweet on the MOFA’s official Twitter account, Wu said “Very privileged to address @_TheFormosaClub meeting. An important message shared was while #Taiwan faces a tough #COVID19 battle, society is unified in stemming the spread of infection. This effort & the staunch support of friends in #Europe will see us weather the storm.”
 
The club was established in October 2019 by the chairs of Taiwan parliamentary friendship groups in the parliaments of the EU, France, Germany and the U.K, the MOFA said, adding that it boasts a membership of around 150 legislators.
 
With chapters in Africa, Caribbean, Indo-Pacific, Latin America and West Asia, the grouping of like-minded partners and forces for good is one of the most vocal supporters of Taiwan globally, the ministry added. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)