Guatemala president reaffirms support for 'brothers' in Taiwan
The national flags of Taiwan and Guatemala flutter outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang
The national flags of Taiwan and Guatemala flutter outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang
TAIPEI - Guatemala, one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies, reaffirmed its support for the island on Thursday during a visit by President Bernardo Arevalo, who said his people will walk together with their "brothers" in Taiwan.
Guatemala is one of only 12 countries to retain formal ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan and Beijing has been stepping up its campaign to win those nations over to its side. Taiwan says it has every right to forge state-to-state relations and Beijing has no right to interfere.
Arevalo, on his first trip to Taiwan since taking office last year, said at a welcome ceremony with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te that the two sides were firm friends and "brotherly peoples".
"We thank our ally for the support we have always received over these more than 90 years. We reaffirm the support of the Republic of Guatemala for the Republic of China, Taiwan," he said at the presidential office, referring to the island's formal name.
"On behalf of the people of Guatemala, I extend our hand to the people of Taiwan with the confidence that we will walk together along the path toward shared well-being, which we will make more profound and more comprehensive today."
Arevalo is being accompanied by his foreign and economics ministers.
Lai, standing next to Arevalo, said Taiwan and Guatemala will keep deepening their cooperation
"Although our two countries are geographically distant but the ideals and values of the two peoples are closely intertwined," he said.
The United States has been concerned about China's efforts to snatch away Taiwan's allies, especially in Latin America.
In February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Guatemala's relations with Taiwan while on a visit to the country, saying the United States would help support it.
In 2023, Taiwan's then-president, Tsai Ing-wen, went to Guatemala a week after neighbouring Honduras severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in favour of Beijing. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK and India discuss ‘counter-terrorism' cooperation after Pakistan ceasefire
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaking during an interview with Reuters in New Delhi, India, on June 7. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW DELHI - Britain and India on June 7 discussed expanding their "counter-terrorism" collaboration following recent fighting between India and Pakistan, Britain's foreign minister told Reuters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. British foreign minister David Lammy is the highest-profile Western official to have visited both New Delhi and Islamabad since the South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire in May after their worst fighting in nearly three decades. The latest tensions began in April after the killing of 26 men in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied. India then attacked what it called "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan, leading to escalation from both sides until a May 10 ceasefire. 'We want the situation to be maintained, but of course we recognise fragility, particularly in the backdrop of terrorism, terrorism designed to destabilise India,' Mr Lammy said, in an interview at the residence of the British High Commissioner in New Delhi. "We are keen to continue to work with our Indian partners on counter-terrorism measures." He said he discussed the next steps with both Mr Modi and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, but gave no specifics. In 2024, India and Britain discussed combating the financing of terrorism, cooperation between law enforcement and judicial bodies and information sharing. Mr Lammy said he also discussed boosting trade between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies. The countries concluded talks for a free trade deal early in May. 'I know that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is very much looking forward to coming to India very soon to sign the free trade agreement,' Mr Lammy said. 'There is so much that our two nations can continue to do together.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Iran says it obtained sensitive Israeli nuclear documents
DUBAI - Iranian intelligence agencies have obtained a large trove of sensitive Israeli documents, some related to the nuclear plans and facilities of Tehran's arch enemy, Iran's state media reported on Saturday. There was no immediate official comment from Israel and it was not clear whether the report was linked to a reported hacking of an Israeli nuclear research centre last year that Tehran is choosing to divulge now amid heightened tensions over its nuclear programme. "Although the operation to obtain the documents was carried out some time ago, the sheer volume of materials and the need to transport them safely into Iran necessitated a news blackout to ensure they reached the designated protected locations," state-run PressTV reported, quoting unnamed sources. "(Sources familiar with the matter) also noted that the abundance of documents is so vast that reviewing them, along with viewing images and videos, has consumed a significant amount of time," PressTV added, without giving details of the documents. In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli agents had seized a huge "archive" of Iranian documents showing Tehran had done more nuclear work than previously known. U.S President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with bombing if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear programme. But Trump in April reportedly blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites in favour of negotiating a deal with Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was "100%" against the country's interests, rejecting a central U.S. demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK and India discuss 'counter-terrorism' cooperation after Pakistan ceasefire
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy attends an interview with Reuters at the British High Commissioner Residence in New Delhi, India, June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally in Madhubani in the eastern state of Bihar, India, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo British Foreign Secretary David Lammy reacts as he speaks during an interview with Reuters at the British High Commissioner Residence in New Delhi, India, June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis NEW DELHI - Britain and India on Saturday discussed expanding their "counter-terrorism" collaboration following recent fighting between India and Pakistan, Britain's foreign minister told Reuters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. British foreign minister David Lammy is the highest-profile Western official to have visited both New Delhi and Islamabad since the South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire last month after their worst fighting in nearly three decades. The latest tensions began in April after the killing of 26 men in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied. India then attacked what it called "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan, leading to escalation from both sides until a May 10 ceasefire. "We want the situation to be maintained, but of course we recognise fragility, particularly in the backdrop of terrorism, terrorism designed to destabilise India," Lammy said in an interview at the residence of the British High Commissioner in New Delhi. "We are keen to continue to work with our Indian partners on counter-terrorism measures." He said he discussed the next steps with both Modi and Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, but gave no specifics. Last year, India and Britain discussed combating the financing of terrorism, cooperation between law enforcement and judicial bodies and information sharing. Lammy said he also discussed boosting trade between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies. The countries concluded talks for a free trade deal early last month. "I know that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is very much looking forward to coming to India very soon to sign the free trade agreement," Lammy said. "There is so much that our two nations can continue to do together." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
