Guatemalan President Arrives On Official Visit In Taiwan

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2023) Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said on Monday he had arrived on an official visit in Taiwan and held a meeting with Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

"I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome provided to us by the fraternal People's Republic of China (Taiwan). I am sure that the days of the official visit to Taiwan will be very useful for our peoples," Giammattei tweeted, attaching a photo of his meeting with the top Taiwanese diplomat.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter that Wu was "honored to welcome @DrGiammattei & his top-notch #Guatemala delegation including (the head of the Guatemalan congress) @ShirleyRiveraGt, (the foreign minister) @MarioBucaroGT & other VIPs to #Taiwan."

Giammattei is paying a working visit to Taiwan from April 24-26 in a return visit to Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen's recent trip to the country. The trip is expected to reaffirm Guatemala's support for the Taiwanese sovereignty and strengthen the 86-year-long diplomatic relations between the two sides, Giammattei's office said.

During the trip, Guatemala's delegation will hold a number of official meetings with the Taiwanese leader and members of the island's parliament, present investment projects to the Taiwanese partners, as well as visit companies and factories, whose industrial model can be followed by Guatemalan businesses.

Guatemala is among 13 states that diplomatically recognize Taiwan. Those also include Belize, Haiti, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini, Tuvalu and the Vatican. There used to be more, but in the recent years, many states decided to break off their relations with the island and establish diplomatic ties with mainland China instead. Taiwan maintains cooperation with other states through its economic and cultural representative offices.