TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Close cooperation has been the key to the long-term and stable relationship between Paraguay and Taiwan, Paraguay President Mario Abdo Benitez said during a welcome ceremony with full military honors on Thursday (Feb. 16).

The two countries are not only friends but also partners in a strategic alliance, Abdo said. He said that both Paraguay and Taiwan believe in peace and firmly defend the values of sovereignty, territorial integrity, people's self-determination, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and freedom.

The president pointed out that the Taiwanese courageously fought for their freedom and defended the nation’s independence and sovereignty.

Despite facing threats, the Taiwanese have never strayed from their commitment to peace and Taiwan continues to serve as a beacon of democracy in the region, Abdo said. As a country that is dedicated to promoting technology and strives in hopes of making the world a better place, Taiwan is a model worth emulating, he added.

Abdo said that in this era of uncertainty and turbulence, it is even more necessary for Paraguay and Taiwan to continue strengthening bilateral relations and mutual cooperation. This will lead to more prosperity and development between the two peoples, he said.

Abdo is accompanied by his wife Silvana Lopez Moreira, Foreign Minister Ariola Julio Cesar Arriola and his wife, Minister of Industry and Commerce Luis Castiglioni, and other government officials, MOFA said. He last visited Taiwan in 2018 for the Double Ten Day celebration.

The purpose of his trip is to “reaffirm the shared democratic values such as free expression, justice, and democracy” between the two countries, Paraguay Ambassador to Taiwan Carlos Jose Fleitas previously said.