President of Guatemala Congress visiting Taiwan

Taipei, July 15 (CNA) The president of Guatemala's Congress, Nery Ramos, is currently visiting Taiwan and will meet with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and other senior officials during his six-day stay to enhance bilateral ties.

Ramos is being accompanied by one of Ramos' chief secretaries, José Pablo Mendoza Franco, and Fidel Reyes Lee of the BIEN party, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release.

Aside from meeting with Lai, Ramos and his delegation, which arrived Monday and will be in Taiwan until Saturday, will meet with Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and attend a banquet to be hosted by Lin, MOFA said.

While in Taiwan, the Guatemalan delegation will also visit the Legislative Yuan, the Mainland Affairs Council, and the Hsinchu Science Park, and see the National Palace Museum, Longshan Temple, and National Center for Traditional Arts, the statement said.

This is the second consecutive year Ramos has visited Taiwan.

According to MOFA, the Guatemalan Congress under Ramos' leadership has passed Taiwan-friendly resolutions in support of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly and in condemning China's interpretation of United Nations Resolution 2758.

Guatemala is one of 12 states in the world that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China.

Guatemala President Bernardo Arévalo was just in Taiwan last month on his first trip to the country as the Central American country's leader.