Taiwan's National Security Bureau delegation concludes Guatemala visit

Guatemala City, March 21 (CNA) A delegation from Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) wrapped up an exchange training program in Guatemala on Friday, marking the first collaboration between the special security forces responsible for protecting the heads of state of both countries.

At a ceremony marking the program's conclusion, Lee Ching-jan (李慶然), who led the Taiwanese delegation, was awarded the "Iximche" by the Guatemalan government for his efforts in pushing for the collaboration.

Lee currently serves as the deputy head of the NSB's Special Service Command Center, which is tasked with the security of former and incumbent Taiwanese presidents, vice presidents and their families, as well as presidential candidates.

The Iximche is a medal conferred by the Guatemalan government upon foreign nationals who have contributed to cooperation between their home countries and the Central American nation.

According to the NSB, this was the first time a delegation from the Special Service Command Center participated in such exchange training with their counterparts from Guatemala.

Friday's ceremony was attended by several top Guatemalan officials, including Defense Minister Henry David Saenz Ramos, Secretary General of the Presidential Office Juan Gerardo Guerrero Garnica, and Ivan Carpio Alfaro, head of the Secretariat of Administrative Affairs and Security (SAAS).

The Special Service Center said the exchange was an opportunity for its officers and their counterparts from Guatemala to conduct joint exercises on security and counterterrorism operations, enhancing their intelligence assessment and operational skills.

The NSB, meanwhile, noted that such a collaboration not only benefited the special security forces of both sides but also contributed to the deepening of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Guatemala.

Guatemala is one of 12 states to maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China. The two nations established ties in 1933.