Saint Lucian embassy in Taiwan now opens

Taipei, Taiwan — The government of Saint Lucia opened an embassy last Thursday in Taiwan – the Caribbean country’s first in Asia, in an effort to strengthen bilateral ties.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Saint Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, and attended by minister for external affairs, international trade and civil aviation Alva Baptiste; permanent representative of Saint Lucia to the United Nations Menissa Rambally; and other Saint Lucian officials. Also present were Taiwan’s Foreign Minister David Lin, Taiwan’s ambassador to Saint Lucia James Chang and other Taiwanese foreign affairs officials.

During his visit, Anthony met with Taiwan President Ma Ying-jieu, to whom he stressed Saint Lucia’s appreciation for the support received from Taiwan. He also thanked the Taiwan president for the continuous funding of the Constituency Development Program (CDP), which has provided thousands of jobs across all 17 constituencies in Saint Lucia.

The prime minister also visited with Saint Lucian students in Taiwan.

Taiwan and Saint Lucia have maintained close cooperation in public health, education, infrastructure and culture since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations in 2007.