TAIWAN: MACEDONIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER SIGNS DIPLOMATIC ACCORD

• Report rights infringement
• published: 21 Jul 2015
• views: 28

Mandarin/Nat The President of Macedonia has revealed that the decision to give diplomatic recognition to Taiwan - rather than China - was taken without his knowledge. The country's foreign minister, Aleksandr Dimitrov, signed the diplomatic accord in Taipei while President Gligorov was meeting with officials from Beijing. But it appears that the decision will stand - giving the island state a much needed boost in its rivalry with mainland China. Foreign Minister Dimitrov signed the deal with his Taiwanese counterpart Jason Hu at a ceremony in Taipei on Wednesday. Shortly after the news broke, Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov called the pact a "surprise." He had met on Wednesday with China's ambassador in the capital Skopje and came out saying Macedonia still recognized Beijing as "the only legitimate representative of the Chinese people." But despite the remarks which were later withdrawn - Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that ties with Macedonia are "stable and will endure." According to Taiwanese officials Kiro was kept in the dark throughout a year of talks between Taiwan and members of the three centre-right parties that defeated the president's former communist allies in parliamentary elections last November. Taipei's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said under Macedonia's constitution, the president is a figure head who has no power to decide foreign policy, making Kiro's denial of the agreement with Taiwan meaningless. Macedonia is the latest country caught up in 50-year old tit-for-tat struggle for diplomatic recognition between Taiwan and Beijing, heirs to a civil war that divided them in 1949. Establishment of ties was a small but significant victory in Taiwan's campaign to buck the diplomatic isolation Beijing seeks to impose on it. Macedonia became Taiwan's 28th diplomatic ally, and only the second country in Europe to have ties with Taiwan, after the Vatican. Jason Hu said his nation hoped relations would improve. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I hope there will be a better atmosphere, I think this is the wish of my colleagues too between mainland China and Taiwan too and better communications and better dialogue better relationships. But at the same time we have to do what we have to do and not to relax or let go, let loose what is our responsibility." SUPER CAPTION: Jason Hu, Foreign Minister of Taiwan After signing an agreement on ties with the Macedonian Foreign Minister, Jason Hu declared a "breakthrough for pragmatic diplomacy in Europe," where high-level Taiwanese leaders are usually refused permission to visit. Foreign Minister of Macedonia, Aleksandar Dimitrov said signing the agreement was a step in the right direction. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Republic of China is some kind of miracle in this part of the region. We want the Republic of Macedonia to become a miracle too in South eastern Europe or better say the Balkans. So we decide to promote some kind of confidence building between each people of the two countries. So looking at that, it was then easier to sign this agreement and other possible cooperation." SUPERCAPTION: Aleksandar Dimitrov, Foreign Minister of Macedonia. China considers Taiwan a renegade province with no right to its own international relations, and severs ties with any country that recognizes the island as an independent nation. There was no immediate comment from Beijing on Taiwan's agreement with Macedonia. Hu said he planned to accept an invitation to visit Macedonia in late February. A delegation of Macedonian journalists and parliamentarians plans to visit Taiwan early next month. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ac649d2290a8e8c6803f0b29d2f889db Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork