President Lai meets with President Bernardo Arévalo of the Republic of Guatemala via videoconference

On the morning of May 21, President Lai Ching-te met with President Bernardo Arévalo of the Republic of Guatemala via videoconference. President Lai thanked President Arévalo for his staunch support for Taiwan, and expressed hope that Taiwan and Guatemala will continue working together on the foundation we have in place to further strengthen our alliance. 

In remarks, President Lai congratulated President Arévalo on behalf of the people of Taiwan for taking office this past January, and conveyed his best wishes for Guatemala’s future prosperity. Noting that our countries share an 89-year-long diplomatic alliance and a deep friendship, President Lai called for even greater solidarity moving forward.

President Lai thanked President Arévalo for his staunch support for Taiwan, and expressed hope that Taiwan and Guatemala will continue working together on the foundation we have in place to promote cooperation in fields including women’s empowerment, medicine and public health, and educational exchanges. President Lai also invited President Arévalo and his wife to visit Taiwan to further strengthen our alliance.

President Arévalo noted that Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ramiro Martínez had traveled to Taiwan to convey his best wishes and the best wishes of the people of Guatemala, and stated that he was honored to hold a virtual meeting with President Lai on the day after his inauguration. Calling the Republic of China (Taiwan) an important ally and partner of Guatemala, President Arévalo congratulated President Lai on his inauguration, and said he was happy that he and President Lai share the vision for bilateral development and that he values the deepening of mutual ties.

Pointing out that Taiwan has long provided assistance to Guatemala across a range of different fields, demonstrating the deep friendship between our countries, President Arévalo expressed hope that our two countries can upgrade our relationship to a strategic partnership, and that Guatemala can attract more investment from Taiwanese businesses. 

President Arévalo also invited President Lai and the first lady to visit Guatemala, saying that mutual visits by heads of state would demonstrate the strength of our alliance and the fruits of our bilateral cooperation.