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Updated Tuesday, January 24, 2012 1:41 am TWN, TAIPEI, CNA

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Caribbean ally invites President Ma to visit region in wake of re-election

TAIPEI -- The leader of one of Taiwan's allies in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has invited President Ma Ying-jeou to visit the region and congratulated Ma on his re-election.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said last week that he had sent a letter of invitation to Ma and had also congratulated him on his election to a second four-year term.

“I want to congratulate my friend President Ma on his very comfortable victory at the polls ... and also a return to a parliamentary majority of the Kuomintang,” Gonsalves said in media briefing in his country.

“The opposition (Democratic Progressive Party) did very well and Taiwan has a robust and vibrant multiparty system. We share that in common,” Gonsalves said.

The prime minister said that Ma, in his first four years in office, showed commitment to strengthening relations between Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“And we have reciprocated,” Gonsalves said, adding that he was looking forward to working with the president over the next four years.

Noting that Taiwan has diplomatic ties with four other CARICOM countries — Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and Haiti — Gonsalves said Ma should give thought to visiting the Caribbean allies soon.

The Dominican Republic, a non-CARICOM state, is also one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the region.

“I have asked him (Ma) to consider visiting us in this term in office, sooner rather than later, because the sooner he gets to it the better,” Gonsalves said. “It would be a wonderful thing, certainly, for him to come and visit us.”

Former President Chen Shui-bian visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines and some of Taiwan's other Caribbean allies in 2005.

“It may be not a bad time, seven years thereafter, for us to have a visit (by Taiwan's leader),” Gonsalves said. “Of course, the president is very busy and he probably has his schedule worked out for the year already, but I have extended an invitation to him.”

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