March 7, 2024
No. 082
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu hosted a dinner on March 6 to welcome a delegation from the Estonia-Taiwan Support Group led by Chairperson Kristo Enn Vaga. Minister Wu expressed his hope that the visit would enable the eight members of the cross-party parliamentary delegation, who are all visiting Taiwan for the first time, to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s free and democratic way of life and its vibrant civil society, thereby paving the way for more substantive bilateral cooperation.
In his remarks, Minister Wu spoke of his first visit to Estonia in 2023. Noting that Estonia had previously been under authoritarian rule, he said that the people of Taiwan were deeply moved by the historic Baltic Way campaign, which showed Estonia’s unity in fighting for freedom and resisting totalitarianism. Minister Wu pointed out that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, it has become even more important for like-minded nations to work together to respond to challenges and threats posed by authoritarian regimes. He added that joint endeavors by Taiwan and Estonia to assist Ukraine have underscored the solidarity between countries on the democratic front line and strengthened the resilience of global democracy.
Chairperson Vaga stated that the delegation, comprising five of the six major political parties in the Estonian parliament, highlighted the cross-party support for Taiwan. He observed that both Taiwan and Estonia neighbored authoritarian powers and that the two countries, despite their geographical distance, shared the core values of human rights and the rule of law. He added that the two countries engaged in close cooperation and solidarity in resisting totalitarian threats and assisting Ukraine.
Minister Wu and the Estonian delegation members exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including Taiwan-Europe economic and trade relations, disinformation threats, the importance of cross-strait peace and stability to the world, China’s ambitions in the South China Sea, cybersecurity, digital services, and political and economic developments in the Baltic region and central and eastern Europe. Both sides expressed that they looked forward to the further deepening of substantive relations between Taiwan and Estonia. (E)