Deputy Minister Wu Confers Diplomatic Medal on Israeli Representative, Expects Expansion of Taiwan-Israel Partnership

(CNA, Reporter Yang Yao-ju, Taipei, 9th) As Representative Maya Yaron of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei is set to depart her post, Political Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Zha-zhong today awarded her the "Medal of Friendship and Diplomacy." He stated that Taiwan cherishes its friendship with Israel and looks forward to continuously expanding their mutually beneficial partnership. Representative Yaron, in turn, shared about the care, encouragement, and support she received from Taiwanese friends while Israel was facing war.

On the 9th, Wu, on behalf of Minister Lin Chia-lung, presented the "Medal of Friendship and Diplomacy" to Maya Yaron, honoring her contributions to deepening the substantive relationship between Taiwan and Israel during her three-year tenure. He also hosted a luncheon for Yaron, during which they exchanged views on a wide range of topics including high-tech industries, artificial intelligence, and trade.

In his remarks, Wu stated that Yaron took office in 2023 amid escalating geopolitical challenges and made significant contributions to deepening mutual understanding and promoting exchanges in education, culture, and tourism between Taiwan and Israel. He noted that Taiwan and Israel share values such as democracy, freedom, resilience, and innovation. Over the 30 years since establishing representative offices, the two countries have signed 36 cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding. Leveraging the complementary strengths of Israel as the "Innovation Nation" and Taiwan's high-tech supply chain, they have initiated cooperation in key areas like semiconductors, AI, and cybersecurity.

Facing recent challenges to the international rules-based order, Wu emphasized that Taiwan was the first to support Israel after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, firmly opposing all forms of terrorism. He reiterated that Taiwan values its friendship with Israel and looks forward to both sides continuing to expand their mutually beneficial partnership to jointly contribute to global technological progress and democratic resilience.

Wu also expressed his sincerest gratitude for Yaron's hard work and deep friendship, and wished her all the best in her new post in Fiji.

In her speech, Yaron reflected on her three years of diplomatic work in Taiwan. Beyond official exchanges, visits, and various cooperative achievements, she said what she cherishes most is the deep friendship forged with people from all walks of life in Taiwan. Citing interactions on messaging apps as an example, she shared the care, encouragement, and support from Taiwanese friends during Israel's time of war, and recalled precious collaborations in many areas such as cultural and religious exchange and disaster relief.

Yaron stressed that the success of diplomatic work comes not only from inter-governmental cooperation but is also built on the sincere trust, understanding, and friendship between people. Yaron thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cooperation partners from both Taiwan and Israel, and her team at the Israel office for their long-standing support and hard work. She stated that she will continue to work to maintain the friendly relations between Taiwan and Israel and hopes that more Taiwanese friends will visit Israel in the future to deepen the friendship between the two peoples. (Editor: Lin Hsing-meng) 1150609