MOFA welcomes visit by Belize House of Representatives speaker
2021/12/02
The visit by Valerie Woods, speaker of Belize’s House of Representatives, is sincerely welcomed by the government and people of Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nov. 30.
Arriving earlier the same day with Clarita Pech, deputy clerk of the National Assembly, Woods is in country to deliver a speech at the Open Parliament Forum taking place Dec. 2 to 3 in Taipei City.
During her five-day stay, Woods will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun, attend banquets hosted by You, MOFA Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu and MOFA Deputy Minister Tien Chung-kwang and tour key facilities such as National Palace Museum.
According to the ministry, this is Woods’ first visit to Taiwan since assuming her current position last December, and third following ones in 2016 and 2003.
Woods is a staunch supporter of Taiwan’s international participation, the MOFA said, citing her joint letter with Belize Senate Speaker Carolyn Trench-Sandiford in May to the World Health Organization urging the country’s observer status in the World Health Assembly.
Another example of Woods backing the country is her participation in October’s virtual meeting of the Formosa Club chapters in the Caribbean and Latin America, the ministry said. The event called for Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Interpol and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change on the basis of pragmatism, professionalism and making substantial contributions to the international community, the MOFA added.
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the ministry said “Vice Minister Yui welcomed to #Taiwan #Belize’s Valerie Woods, speaker of the House of Representatives, & Clarita Pech, deputy clerk of the National Assembly. We wish our good friends a productive 5-day visit & look forward to their participation in the Open Parliament Forum.”
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)
