Tsai confirms planned trip to Czech Republic, 1st since leaving office

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, her office confirmed Monday.

Tsai will depart Taiwan on Saturday and will deliver a speech at the "Forum 2000" conference being held in Prague from Oct. 13-15, her office said in a statement, largely confirming details published by local media.

Ahead of the trip, Tsai held a meeting with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) at his official residence on Sunday, who asked her to convey his and the Taiwanese people's best wishes to the Czech Republic and Taiwan's other international partners, the statement said.

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

During her time in Prague, Tsai will deliver a 10-15 minute speech at the Forum 2000 conference, but will not take questions from the press, a source with knowledge of her plans, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNA.

The Forum 2000 conference, which was founded in 1996, describes itself as pursuing the legacy of 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 the conference in 2004 and delivered pre-recorded speeches to it "multiple times" during her presidency from 2016-2024, according to the source.