April 29, 2021
No. 072
The Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Diplomatic Academy of Saint Lucia (DASL) concluded an agreement on mutual cooperation on April 29. The agreement was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister and IDIA Chancellor Tien, Chung-kwang and Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the Republic of China (Taiwan) and DASL Director Edwin Laurent at a signing ceremony witnessed by approximately 90 diplomatic officers from the two countries.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Deputy Minister Tien stressed that the agreement marked a significant milestone in the two countries’ bilateral relations and that he looked forward to working closely with the DASL on related training programs, policy analysis projects, and exchanges of visits. Ambassador Laurent stated that the DASL was launched in 2020 at the initiative of Saint Lucia’s Minister of External Affairs Sarah Flood-Beaubrun, who had made this a priority since assuming her position in 2016 in order to further upgrade the skills of Saint Lucian officials. Since being appointed DASL Director upon its inception, Ambassador Laurent has been overseeing the development of its programs.
Saint Lucia is an important diplomatic ally of Taiwan in the Caribbean. Since the two countries reestablished diplomatic ties in 2007, Saint Lucia has warmly welcomed the renewed close bilateral relations and cooperation projects between the two sides. Taiwan highly appreciates Saint Lucia’s staunch support of its meaningful participation in the international community. This newly signed agreement will further consolidate the existing strong ties between Taiwan and Saint Lucia and enhance bilateral cooperation and exchanges concerning diplomatic training.
The IDIA, formerly known as the Foreign Service Training Institute, was founded in 1969 and reorganized in 2012. It is tasked with promoting professional training, international exchanges, and policy research so as to cultivate highly competent and well-rounded diplomats.（Ｅ）