Taipei: Panama's National Assembly on Tuesday established an interparliamentary friendship group with Taiwan's Legislature, a move welcomed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung as an opportunity to facilitate bilateral exchanges and advance mutual interests.
According to Focus Taiwan, the National Assembly officially established the multiparty interparliamentary exchange group with the Legislative Yuan at an inaugural ceremony at the assembly on Tuesday morning, local time. The formation of this group signifies a significant step in strengthening the relationship between Panama and Taiwan, despite the formal diplomatic ties being severed in June 2017.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reported that 45 of the assembly's 71 lawmakers, accounting for more than 60 percent, have joined the newly formed group. This includes prominent figures such as National Assembly President Shirley Casta±edas and Vice Presidents Manuel Cohen and Manuel Cheng, as highlighted in a Wednesday press release from MOFA.
During the inaugural ceremony, a congratulatory video message from Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung was played, where he emphasized the shared universal values of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights between Taiwan and Panama. Lin expressed his hopes that the Taiwan-friendly parliamentary group would further deepen parliamentary diplomacy and expand cooperation and exchanges, thereby promoting mutual benefits and shared prosperity for both nations.
MOFA also noted that the formation of the group followed visits by more than 20 Panamanian lawmakers to Taiwan over the past six months, marking a rare development since the cessation of formal diplomatic relations in 2017.
In addition, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, extended his congratulations to Panama's National Assembly for establishing the parliamentary exchange platform through a separate video message played during Tuesday's ceremony, according to MOFA.