President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) met with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Guatemala Luis Raúl Estévez López on Monday, the 90th anniversary of the two countries establishing diplomatic relations. Both Lai and Estévez highlighted their intent to strengthen Taiwan-Guatemalan relations in the future.
President Lai led Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) to receive Guatemalan Ambassador Luis Raúl Estévez López at the Presidential Office. In a speech, Lai said he was honored to receive Estévez’s credentials, and that the Ambassador was welcome to come to his new post in Taiwan at any time to guide Taiwan-Guatemalan relations into a new era.
Estévez is a senior diplomat who has served in such international organizations as the Organization of American States and the International Court of Justice. His current posting to Taiwan affirms that Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo holds Taiwan-Guatemalan relations in high regard. Lai expressed the hope that Estévez’s rich diplomatic experience will foster deeper international relations.
For his part, Estévez was honored to personally present his credentials to President Lai as a symbol of the bond between the two countries. He said that he aims to strengthen bilateral relations between Taiwan and Guatemala, a friendship founded on a shared love of peace, pursuit of democracy, and respect for the universal value of international law.
The presentation of credentials is one of the final steps before an ambassadorial candidate can be officially recognized. According to procedure, Estévez presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Lin last November.