U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart Congratulates Panama on Forming Taiwan Friendship Group, Signaling Renewed Bilateral Exchanges
U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, has publicly congratulated Panama's National Assembly for establishing a new interparliamentary friendship group with Taiwan's legislature. This development marks a significant step in renewed bilateral exchanges between Panama and Taiwan, which had ended formal diplomatic ties in June 2017. The Panamanian National Assembly officially formed this multiparty exchange group with Taiwan's Legislative Yuan during an inaugural ceremony. According to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), 45 of Panama's 71 lawmakers, representing over 60 percent of the assembly, have joined the group. This initiative follows visits by more than 20 Panamanian lawmakers to Taiwan over the past six months, a rare occurrence since the severance of diplomatic relations. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung of Taiwan welcomed the move, emphasizing shared values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, and expressed hopes for deeper parliamentary diplom...
