Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwan's Vice President Wu Den-yih attended the swearing-in ceremony of Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina on Thursday and extended congratulations to the new leader of the Caribbean ally.

Wu later also attended a Catholic mass and reception held in honor of Medina and his deputy, Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez.

Earlier in the day, Wu held talks with high-level officials from several other diplomatic allies of Taiwan, who were also in the Dominican Republic for the swearing-in ceremony.

In his meeting with Haiti President Michel Martelly, Wu conveyed President Ma Ying-jeou's greetings and good wishes to Martelly, saying that Ma attaches great value to the friendship between the two countries.

On a directive from Ma, Taiwan has been actively involved in the relief and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Wu noted.

Most of Taiwan's reconstruction projects there have been completed, including the "New Hope" housing project for earthquake victims, which was carried out by the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, he said. Wu gave the assurance that Taiwan will continue to help with Haiti's reconstruction and development.

Martelly, on his part, expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Taiwan.

Meanwhile, issues concerning bilateral trade, investment and educational cooperation were discussed in a separate meeting between Wu and Guatemala Foreign Minister Harold Caballeros.

The Dominican Republic is the first leg of Wu's current visit to the region, with Belize as the next stop.

He is scheduled to return to Taiwan Aug. 24 via Los Angeles. (By Kelven Huang and Y.F. Low)ENDITEM/ pc