Ties with Nicaragua not influenced by diplomatic snubs: MOFA

Ortega did not meet Ma at the airport when he arrived in Managua on July 3 and also missed a state banquet he was supposed to host for Ma later in the day.

Though the Nicaraguan president apologized to Ma Saturday, the perceived snubs led to tensions in bilateral ties between Taiwan and the Central American country over the past few days.

“It is wrong to act as if you were the host when you are a guest. However, things like this can only be tolerated once or twice, if it happens the third time, it would be an insult and you should take immediate action,”MOFA spokesman Henry Chen said Tuesday.

According to Chen, after the incidents happened, the Foreign Ministry immediately took action to protect Taiwan's national dignity by expressing strong objections to Nicaragua's government, including to Ortega himself, who later apologized to Ma.

While admitting that there were some difficulties during the communication process, Chen denied media reports that the Foreign Ministry threatened to cancel its cooperation projects with Nicaragua if it did not apologize.

“The communication process (with Nicaragua government) might not have been completely satisfactory, but the Foreign Ministry will take it as a lesson and conduct a full review, ”Chen said, who added that ties with Nicaragua remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, Chen confirmed that Wu Chin-mu, Taiwan's ambassador to Nicaragua, has tendered his resignation over the incidents.

Chen said, however, that Wu did his best in handling the matter, and the ministry will carefully review his resignation based on his performance and personal situation.

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