MOFA honors AIT Director Christensen, Deputy Director Greene

2021/06/28

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Grand Medal of Diplomacy and Friendship Medal of Diplomacy were awarded June 24 to American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen and Deputy Director Raymond Greene, respectively, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to strengthening Taiwan-U.S. relations.
 
Conferred by MOFA Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu during a ceremony at historic Taipei Guest House, the medals highlight the officials’ success in expanding bilateral exchanges across a broad spectrum of areas, as well as transforming two-way ties into a global strategic partnership.
 
According to Wu, the accomplishment is a credit to the AIT under the exceptional leadership of Christensen and Greene. The government and people of Taiwan are sincerely grateful and wish the pair all the best in their future endeavors, he added.
 
Wu also took the opportunity to thank the AIT for coordinating the delivery of 2.5 million Moderna vaccine doses earlier this month. The timely and much-appreciated gesture will help Taiwan continue staging a strong COVID-19 fightback, he said.
 
In response, Christensen said he is truly honored to receive the medal and observe continued progress in the bilateral relationship during his 40-year history with Taiwan. The arrival of the vaccines by way of reciprocating for Taiwan’s generous donation of medical supplies to the U.S. is a source of happiness, as is the resumption of talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in the near future, he added.
 
Echoing Christensen’s remarks, Greene—the newly appointed charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Japan—said he looks forward to maintaining the momentum of strong trilateral cooperation among the like-minded partners. Taiwan is a beacon to those aspiring for a more just, safe, prosperous and democratic world, he said.
 
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the MOFA said “Minister Wu took enormous delight in awarding the #AIT’s Director Christensen & Deputy Director Greene our Grand Medal of Diplomacy & Friendship Medal of Diplomacy, respectively. The honors reflect the pair’s outstanding contributions to advancing #Taiwan-#US-ties. Thank you!” 


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