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Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, has voiced support for peaceful government transitions on his current official visit to Taiwan.
“We do not believe in invasions, we do not believe in the use of force, we believe in peaceful transitions of government,” Pierre said during an interview on Wednesday at the Embassy of Saint Lucia in Taipei.
As reported by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA), the Saint Lucia Prime Minister said his country does not believe in interference in the internal affairs of other countries and chooses to be a diplomatic ally with Taiwan.
“We believe in all states having responsibility for their own foreign policy, we do not interfere in the internal relations of states,” Pierre said.
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In addition, he said it was Saint Lucia’s choice to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Taiwan and Saint Lucia established diplomatic relations in 1984.
But the ties ended in 1997 when Saint Lucia switched recognition to China.
In April 2007, Saint Lucia and Taiwan reestablished diplomatic relations, and Beijing severed formal ties with Castries.
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According to CNA, the news organisation asked Pierre whether China had asked his administration about establishing official diplomatic relations.
“We respect the sovereignty of Taiwan, we respect the sovereignty of all states, we do not believe in interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, so we’ve chosen now to be diplomatic ally of Taiwan, and that’s what we are,” Pierre told the news agency.
The Saint Lucia Prime Minister arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a five-day state visit, his first as Prime Minister.
Pierre took up the post following his Saint Lucia Labour Party’s landslide election win after the July 26, 2021, general elections.
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