Group urges deeper ties with the Baltic –

By Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Legislative Yuans Friendship Association With the Baltic States yesterday urged the government to adopt policies to deepen relations with central and eastern Europe.

Association members Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Chiu Chih-wei (), Chang Liao Wan-chien () and Hsu Chih-chieh () urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to step up collaboration with the legislature to bolster Taiwans diplomatic outreach efforts to central and eastern European countries.

By establishing connections with small, democratic countries in the EU that share similar views and values with Taiwan, it would be possible to find a way out of the nations diplomatic quandary, the association said at a news conference.

Photo: Lu Yi-hui, Taipei Times

Chiu suggested the establishment of a travel bubble program with countries in central and eastern Europe, similar to the one with Palau, adding that travel bubbles, which allow people to move freely without undergoing quarantine, would facilitate bilateral relations.

The association has plans to invite Lithuanian Parliamentary Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to Taiwan, he said.

The ministry should consider including eastern European languages in its exams, as fluency in Baltic languages would increase the efficiency of promoting bilateral relations, he added.

Chiu called for the ministry to adjust its funding for the region and to expand the list of countries eligible to apply for the Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship program.

The ministry should consider emulating Japan and issuing an annual diplomatic blue book to inform the public on its diplomatic strategies and its take on international affairs, which would allow the public to act in a way that would improve Taiwans reputation, he said.

The government should negotiate starting direct flight services with the Czech Republic, especially Prague, Hsu said, adding that other direct-flight destinations in eastern and central Europe should also be considered to tighten economic and tourism ties with the region.

The ministry should also initiate a review on how to best utilize its offices in the Visegrad Group to interact with more European countries, he said.

Chang Liao suggested stepping up interaction between the legislatures of Taiwan and the Baltic states.

The countries in central and eastern Europe have experienced similar oppression that Taiwan has undergone, and they also strive to achieve democracy and liberty, he said.

They have spoken highly of Taiwans information and electronics industries, and are interested in attracting Taiwanese businesses to invest in the region, which would improve Taiwanese-European interaction in technology, education and industry development, he added.

Thanking the Czech, Lithuanian and Slovakian governments for their donations of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General of European Affairs Remus Chen (), who represented the ministry at the news conference, said he would relay the associations suggestions to the ministry and would discuss them in-depth.

Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hui

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