Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) Belize inked a Coast Guard cooperation agreement with Taiwan on Thursday that covers the areas of search and rescue, fisheries enforcement and combating transnational crime at sea.
Signing the agreement on behalf of his government, Belize's Minister of National Defence and Border Security Florencio Marin Jr. said the pact is part of Belize's military diplomacy to strengthen partnership with its allies, according to a press release put out by his ministry.
"Through this effort we have been able to improve the overall prospects of our armed forces in capacity building primarily focusing on the development of our service personnel," Florencio was quoted as saying.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agreement was signed by Taiwan's then-Minister of Ocean Affairs Council Lee Chung-wei (李仲威) in Taiwan first, then sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Taiwan's embassy in Belize and transmitted to Marin Jr. to be signed.
Taiwan's Ambassador to Belize David Chien (錢冠州) was invited to attend the ceremony held at the headquarters of the Belize Coast Guard (BCG), which was also attended by Commandant of the BCG Elton Bennett and other BCG officials, according to a separate statement released by Taiwan's embassy in Belize.
Chien expressed gratitude on behalf of Taiwan for the support of Marin and the Belizean government, saying that the agreement marks a milestone for the two countries' collaboration.
Referring to Taiwan and Belize's 33-year formal diplomatic relationship, Chien said the agreement embodied the "rock-solid bond" of the two countries, and he looked forward to further cooperation in the future to enhance the welfare of the two countries' nationals.
