The foreign ministry has thanked Taiwan’s diplomatic allies for supporting Taiwan at the UN General Assembly’s General Debate. According to a foreign ministry press release on Thursday, 16 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies made statements supportive of Taiwan during the debate, which concluded on September 30.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Kao explained that not all of Taiwan’s 21 diplomatic allies with UN seats were able to support Taiwan during the debate session. Kao said that some countries have newly elected governments that have just taken office. She said that these countries used the debates as a chance to focus on more pressing issues, such as domestic affairs and regional issues.
However, Kao said that Taiwan’s relations with all of its allies remain close. She said that the five allies that did not voice support for Taiwan during the debates have all supported Taiwan in other international organizations. She also said that Taiwan will continue working to achieve its goal of meaningful participation in international organizations.
Meanwhile, the presidents of Burkina Faso and Paraguay, two countries that voiced support for Taiwan at the UN, plan to attend Taiwan’s National Day celebrations on October 10. Panama and Honduras, neither of which spoke in favor of Taiwan at this year’s UN debates, also plan to send high profile representatives to the celebrations. Panama will be sending its first lady, while Honduras will send its vice president.