Honduran lawmaker visits Taiwan, meets with FM amid severed ties

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) met Tuesday with a visiting Honduran congressman in Taipei and said Taiwan is open to all possibilities for future relations, in a rare development since the two countries broke diplomatic relations in 2023.

Lin welcomed the visit by Jorge Cálix, caucus whip of Honduras' opposition Liberal Party, saying during the meeting that the visit was "a concrete move to show his friendship and support for Taiwan," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release on Tuesday.

Lin also said that when Taiwan and Honduras were diplomatic allies, they had achieved fruitful results through cooperation in various areas, according to MOFA.

Taiwan continues to cherish its long-standing friendship with the people of Honduras, Lin was cited as saying in the press release.

He pledged that the Taiwan government would maintain a "pragmatic and open approach" to the prospect of future relations that could "create all kinds of possibilities," MOFA said.

Meanwhile, Cálix said during the meeting that he sees Taiwan as a model of freedom, democracy, and economic development, according to MOFA.

On his current visit, Cálix said, he will be exploring opportunities for future cooperation based on the existing foundation, the press release stated.

MOFA did not disclose when the Honduran politician arrived in Taiwan or how long he will stay.

Cálix has been serving as a member of the National Congress since 2014. In early 2022, he briefly served as the disputed president of the Congress.

He is the first Honduran politician to publicly visit Taiwan since the Central American country severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in March 2023, under then President Xiomara Castro, ending 82 years of diplomatic relations.

Honduras' new president, Nasry Asfura, who took office in January, had pledged during his election campaign to restore ties with Taipei.

Since then, however, neither Tegucigalpa nor Taipei have spoken publicly about potentially restoring diplomatic ties.