The new Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Oscar Adolfo Padilla Lam on Monday invited President Tsai Ing-wen (???) to co-host a planned summit in the Central American country of states that maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei.
Padilla said that as a staunch supporter of Taiwan, Guatemala had repeatedly expressed its support for the country in bilateral and multilateral forums.
According to Padilla, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei voiced support for Taiwan at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
As a friend of Taiwan, Guatemala is planning a summit in March 2023 of countries with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations, Padilla said.
The summit will serve as a platform for these allies of Taiwan to conduct closer exchanges among one another and to again show their joint commitment to Taiwan, he said.
Padilla said the summit would be hosted by President Giammattei Padilla, adding that Guatemala’s government had invited Tsai to co-host.
Guatemala’s government has yet to release details of the planned summit, and it is not immediately clear if Tsai will act as co-host.
Guatemala is one of a total of 14 states that have diplomatic relations with Republic of China, the de jure name for Taiwan.
The ambassador made the remarks Monday morning as he presented his credentials to Tsai during a ceremony at the Presidential Office.
Padilla had already presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (???) on Nov. 11.
In her Monday address, Tsai welcome Padilla, describing him as an old friend of Taiwan and noting that he had first visited the island in 1992.
Tsai added that she expected Padilla’s appointment to facilitate even closer bilateral relations on all fronts.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Padilla previously served as Guatemala’s deputy foreign minister, as well as the country’s consul general in Vancouver, Canada, and the U.S. state of Arizona.
The ambassador has visited Taiwan four times in the past, including in 1996, when he took part in a MOFA-sponsored training program.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel