The President of Paraguay Santiago Peña congratulated President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on his victory in the presidential elections on Saturday (Jan. 13) and reaffirmed Paraguay's support for Taiwan.
Peña said Paraguay will continue to work with Taiwan to strengthen bilateral relations based on shared values and beliefs. Both honored the rule of law, checks and balances, freedom of expression, and human rights.
Paraguay and Taiwan share a similar background in their democracies. Paraguay held its first free elections in 1993, when it elected former President Juan Carlos Wasmosy. In 1996, Taiwanese went to the polls to elect former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
We can summarize this change of thinking in the country model in four ways:
- Democratic coexistence established in a common law and of mandatory validity for all (welfare, state, freedom, equality, justice, pluralism and political participation, rule of law).
- Security understood as the effective protection of the life and rights and freedoms of citizens, as well as the defense, stability, continuity and territorial integrity of the state.
- Sustainable prosperity, or a country aimed at achieving economic well-being based on sustainable growth, considering sustainability from various dimensions: social cohesion, job creation, respect for the environment, competitiveness of the productive fabric, safe access to energy supply, the possibility of obtaining financing, and fiscal responsibility.
- Culture and knowledge, understood from respect for variety and from reward to talent and merit, as central elements to promote in the society for their contribution to collective innovation and enrichment.
Global interdependence has turned the planet into a "global village," and inter-state relations reinforces the need for the whole country to become aware of international challenges through coordinated external action to defend national interests.
It is within those parameters that we must uphold the rule of law in a noble, courageous, and brotherly nation like Taiwan. The U.N. Charter states that member countries must be peace lovers. It is undeniable that the democratic evolution of our society has laid the foundation for our citizens' coexistence. A nation's foreign policy is the reflection of its society's thinking on an issue, and since most Paraguayans, regardless of their ideology, hold that democracy is the best system of government, this is a principle of our external conduct.
Paraguay's government and people wish success to the President-elect of Taiwan Lai Ching-te, and we reiterate our countries' strong partnership for the well-being of our people. In conclusion, I would like to quote former U.S. President John F. Kennedy: “Democracy is a superior form of government, because it is based on respect for man as a rational being.” All the best in this new stage of government to the great people of Taiwan.
