November 10, 2023
No. 385
In a demonstration of solidarity and mutual assistance among democracies to help Ukraine rebuild critical civilian infrastructure damaged in the war, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague Amb. Ke Liang-ruey and Representative of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei David Steinke signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by videoconference on November 10. Taiwan and the Czech Republic agreed to cooperate to help Ukraine reconstruct water treatment facilities and gas-fired cogeneration power plants. The signing was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Chun Lee and Czech Governmental Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Tomáš Kopečný.
Speaking on behalf of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Deputy Minister Lee said the MOU was significant as a pioneering project for Taiwan and the Czech Republic to jointly assist Ukraine, explaining that it was the first agreement on humanitarian assistance for Ukraine signed by the two governments and that the two countries would take concrete steps to meet the Ukrainian people’s basic needs of water and power. He noted the MOU demonstrated the ongoing commitment of like-minded countries to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and democracy, adding that Taiwan would continue to work with its democratic partners to deliver practical support to Ukraine.
Governmental Envoy Kopečný underlined that the Czech Republic was one of the first countries to provide military assistance to Ukraine and that the Czech Republic had succeeded in eliminating its dependence on Russian energy. He said Ukraine’s determination to defend its territorial sovereignty was key to other countries being willing to come to its aid.
Olha Kulish, representative of the Ukrainian community in Taiwan, conveyed her sincere appreciation to Taiwan and the Czech Republic for their partnership to assist Ukraine. Speaking in fluent Mandarin, she expressed her confidence in the equipment from Taiwan that would be used to rebuild water treatment facilities. She hoped that the connections made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would lead to more Taiwanese products appearing in Ukraine.
The Czech government has identified the infrastructure to be rebuilt under the project as critically needed by the Ukrainian people. The facilities were jointly assessed and selected together with the government of Taiwan. Water treatment plants in Ukraine will be equipped with advanced filtration technologies. The project will also improve the efficiency of natural gas electricity production and power usage. The restored facilities will strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s energy system and help the Ukrainian people get through the winter.
Building on the foundations of the project, Taiwan and the Czech Republic will continue to promote assistance programs for Ukraine and steadily broaden their scope of cooperation. The partnership is a practical demonstration of mutual assistance and humanitarian aid between democratic nations to jointly promote infrastructure resilience. (E)