Outgoing Belizean Ambassador Diane C. Haylock on Tuesday (Dec. 29, 2020) was awarded the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu for her contribution to Taiwan-Belize relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a press release Tuesday stating that Wu gave a speech recognizing Haylock’s active promotion of exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Belize in various fields such as politics, economy, and culture. Wu congratulated the ambassador, who took office in 2016, and wished her a smooth return to Belize, adding that he hoped she would regard Taiwan as her “home away from home.”
The ambassador expressed her gratitude for the prestigious medal and especially thanked President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for valuing the friendship between the two countries. She said that Taiwan’s assistance to Belize has been deeply rooted in the hearts of Belizeans, particularly Taiwan scholarships given to students to cultivate talent and Taiwanese-funded cooperative hospitals to train medical personnel, both of which will help with the Central American country’s long-term development, CNA reported.
2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Belize. MOFA stated that Taiwan and Belize have a stable and friendly relationship.
The ministry said the two sides have cooperated closely and have achieved remarkable results in the fields of infrastructure construction, public health, and medical care, information and communications, agriculture and fishery, economy and trade, education, and culture, with “outstanding results.” In recent years, the countries have successively signed cooperation agreements in the areas of clean government, mutual legal assistance, aviation, and economics, MOFA added.
Credit: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
