NordenBladet —
According to Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson, the visit is historic as it is the first time the Foreign Affairs Committee has visited Taiwan. “When looking at the relations between Estonia and Taiwan in recent years, it can be seen that cooperation has become considerably closer at various levels,” he said. He added that the fact that the meeting with President Lai Ching-te, which was due to take place yesterday, when Typhoon Kong-rey devastated Taiwan and shut down the entire island, had not been cancelled but had been rescheduled for today, was also an indication of good relations.
In Taipei, the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan Tien Chung-kwang, and Secretary-General Joseph Wu and Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan of the National Security Council, as well as with Eric Chu, the Chairman of the largest opposition party the Kuomintang. They also had meetings at the European Values Center for Security Policy that in January 2022 became the first European think tank to open its office in Taiwan. During the visit, the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee will also visit Kinmen Islands.
The members of the Foreign Affairs Committee started their visit to East Asia in the Republic of Korea, where they had meetings with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Lee Hak-young, Minister of Unification Kim Yung-ho, and Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kim Hee-sang. In Seoul, the members of the Riigikogu visited the European Union Delegation, the Embassy of Ukraine and Soongsil University, and had meetings with the representatives of several think tanks and the defence industry company Hanwha Aerospace. They also visited the Embassy of Estonia and met with local Estonians at the Estonian Business Hub, and travelled to the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Mihkelson is accompanied on the visit by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee Ester Karuse, Henn Põlluaas and Luisa Rõivas. In Taiwan, Eerik-Niiles Kross also joined the delegation.
The Foreign Affairs Committee has been following the developments in the Asian region for years. In 2011, the Foreign Affairs Committee started the hearings on the Asian strategy, and a year later, the Committee drafted the report “The Opportunities and Interests of Estonia in Asia until 2025”.
For more information and comments, please contact:
Marko Mihkelson, +372 514 1442
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The Foreign Affairs Committee in Taiwan: Cooperation between democratic societies is essential
Source: Parliament of Estonia