ST. KITTS-NEVIS AND REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) SIGN FIVE YEAR BILATERAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT TO CEMENT LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 18, 2019 (SKNIS): The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis continues its long-standing relationship with the Republic of China (Taiwan) by the signing of another five-year Bilateral Cooperation Agreement, which aims to build upon the mutually rewarding relationship. The signing took place on January 18, 2019, in Agriculture Conference Room at Government Headquarters.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity this morning to signal again our commitments and our country’s dedication to each other as we continue this path on which we have embarked,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Mark Brantley

He said that the signing of the agreement renews the countries pledges to each other while he extended his gratitude to Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Tom Lee, for maintaining the well-established relationship.

“I want to extend to Ambassador Lee and his team and to his government our gratitude for this long relationship. I believe that it is a relationship that has benefited our country immensely. I continue to say that Taiwan is not just a friend, it is our best friend and the government and people of Taiwan have demonstrated over the years that friendship and we are truly grateful,” said Minister Brantley.

He said that the Cooperation Agreement simply continues a long tradition of support between the two countries in areas including health, education, science, technology, and security.

He added that the “DNA of Taiwan is all over St. Kitts and Nevis” and stated that he is hopeful that the relationship continues to be enriched over the years to come.

“We are a small country but we have supported Taiwan vocally in various international organizations and we have campaigned relentlessly for the inclusion of Taiwan in international matters and so we will continue in that vein and we hope that the signing, as symbolic as it is will continue to strengthen and deepen our relationship between these two countries,” he said.

Resident Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan), His Excellency Tom Lee, said that the agreement is very significant because it establishes a framework for all technical cooperation and projects in the Federation and it also authorizes the government to send technical missions to the island to implement the projects.

“As a strong ally of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Republic of China will continue to strengthen our relationship and our embassy will continue to work hard and make sure that more and more people will benefit from our cooperation,” he said.