TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) thanked the Czech Republic for continuously supporting Taiwan in a meeting with Czech Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security Committee Chair Pavel Fischer on Wednesday (Dec. 6).

Referring to Fischer as "an old friend of Taiwan," You mentioned the senator’s proposal in July to list Taiwan-Czech relations as between two subjects under international law, CNA reported.

You said the Czech Republic is Taiwan's most significant ally in Europe, as seen by the numerous collaborations between the two countries. These include the bilateral parliamentary friendship cooperation declaration, Taipei-Prague direct flights, the establishment of the Supply Chain Resilience Center at Charles University, and the Taiwan-Czech joint assistance program for Ukraine. These instances of cooperation demonstrate the friendship, mutual support, and shared universal values between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, You said.

The legislative speaker also highlighted the growing support for Taiwan among democratic nations and said Taiwan is committed to making the world a safer place.

Fischer said there was still much work to be done to have more cohesion and cooperation within the global democratic alliance but it was possible to achieve.

The senator said Taiwan and the Czech Republic uphold freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, sharing universal values. He pledged that Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil would continue to promote cooperation and development between the two nations.

Fischer is in Taiwan for a three-day visit to exchange views with Taiwanese leaders about bilateral cooperation and regional security developments. He met with Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Tuesday (Dec. 5) and was awarded the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy for his work to deepen ties.