Tsai to attend Prague conference in 1st post-presidential trip: Reports

Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will travel to the Czech Republic later this week to speak at a conference in Prague, in what will be her first international trip since leaving office in May, local media reported Sunday.

According to a Mirror Media report, Tsai will depart Taiwan Saturday on an 8-day trip to the Czech Republic and two other unnamed European countries.

In response to the claims, Tsai's office said in a statement late Sunday that it would make an official announcement to the public "if the relevant travel plans are confirmed."

A source with knowledge of the former president's travel plans said Tsai is planning to deliver a 10-15-minute speech at the "Forum 2000" conference being held in Prague from Oct. 13-15, and will not be taking questions from the press.

The annual conference, which was founded in 1996, describes itself as pursuing the legacy of former Czech President Vaclav Havel "by supporting the values of democracy and respect for human rights, assisting the development of civil society, and encouraging religious, cultural and ethnic tolerance."

Tsai previously attended conference in 2004 and delivered pre-recorded speeches to it "multiple times" during her presidency, according to the source, who wished to remain anonymous.

The Czech Republic has in recent years become one of Taiwan's closest European partners.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan donated over a million masks and mask production equipment to the Czech Republic, while Prague later donated 30,000 Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to Taipei.

In January 2023, Czech President-elect Petr Pavel held a phone call with Tsai, breaking tradition with European leaders that typically refrain from direct political contact with their Taiwanese counterparts.