Political leaders express solidarity with Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil in connection to his official visit to Taiwan

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Political leaders from democratic countries have jointly expressed solidarity with Miloš Vystrčil, the President of the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic in connection to his planned visit to Taiwan in August 2020. Initiated by Alexandr Vondra MEP (ECR/Czech Republic) and Miriam Lexmann MEP (EPP/Slovakia), and based on expertise of the MapInfluenCE project, the joint international statement further condemned pressure applied on President Miloš Vystrčil, by the People’s Republic of China.

President Vystrčil’s predecessor, the late President of the Czech Senate, Jaroslav Kubera, was planning a visit to Taiwan as the head of a delegation scheduled for February 2020. The delegation would have represented the highest-profile visit of a Czech politician to the self-ruling island in decades. Yet Mr. Kubera suddenly passed away in January 2020. Shortly before his death, Mr. Kubera received a threatening letter from the Chinese Embassy in Prague, which also brazenly threatened repercussions for three Czech companies operating in China in the event of the visit. Despite the ongoing attempts by the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic to thwart the visit to Taiwan, the newly-elected Senate President Miloš Vystrčil expressed his intention to proceed with it, saying that it will be an expression of the respect for freedom and democracy that the Czech Republic espouses.

‘The Czech Republic has the right to develop economic and cultural cooperation with Taiwan and President Vystrčil, constitutionally second highest representative of the Czech Republic, does not need People’s Republic of China approval for visiting Taiwan’, said the joint statement,

Lexmann and Vondra stated: ‘We thank fellow political leaders from democratic countries for standing firmly in solidarity with the Senate President Vystrčil and for the independent right of European countries to develop relationship with Taiwan in line with their national interest and shared values of democracy and human rights’. 

Signed:

European Parliament
Alexandr Vondra MEP (Czech Republic)Miriam Lexmann MEP (Slovakia)
Anna Fotyga MEP (Poland)David Lega MEP (Sweden)
Michael Gahler MEP / Chair of the EP Taiwan Friendship Group (Germany)Christophe Hansen MEP (Luxembourg)
Sandro Gozi MEP (France)Dorien Rookmaker MEP (Netherlands)
Andrius Kubilius MEP (Lithuania)Rasa Juknevičienė MEP (Lithuania)
Eugen Jurzyca MEP (Slovakia)Ivan Štefanec MEP (Slovakia)
Tomáš Zdechovský MEP (Czech Republic)Michaela Šojdrová MEP (Czech Republic)
Petras Auštrevičius MEP (Lithuania)Veronika Vrecionová MEP (Czech Republic)
Charlie Weimers MEP (Sweden)Vladimír Bilčík MEP (Slovakia)
Luděk Niedermayer MEP (Czech Republic)Raphaël Glucksman MEP (France)
Salima Yenbou MEP (France)Markéta Gregorová MEP (Czech Republic)
Mikuláš Peksa MEP (Czech Republic)
German Bundestag
Marcus Faber
French Parliament
Senator Olivier Cadic
US Congress
Senator Marco RubioRepresentative Mike Gallagher 
Representative Ted Yoho
Parliament of Canada
Senator Thanh Hai NgoJames Bezan MP
Parliament of Australia
Senator Eric AbetzGeorge Christensen MP
Senator Kimberley Kitching Andrew Hastie MP 
UK Parliament
Timothy Loughton MP 
Seimas of Republic of Lithuania
Gabrielius Landsbergis MPStasys Šedbaras MP
Ingrida Šimonytė MPGintaras Steponavičius MP
Žygimantas Pavilionis MPAudronius Ažubalis MP
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė MPJurgis Razma MP
Arvydas Anušauskas MPVytautas Juozapaitis MP
Monika Navickienė MPKęstutis Masiulis MP
Paulė Kuzmickienė MPBronislovas Matelis MP
Aistė Gedvilienė MPGintaras Vaičekauskas MP
Mantas Adomenas MPAndrius Kupčinskas MP
Rasa Petrauskienė MP
National Council of the Slovak Republic
Ondrej Dostál MPRastislav Jílek MP
Jana Žitňanská MPPeter Osuský MP
Radovan Kazda MPAndrej Stančík MP
Dominik Drdul MPMonika Kozelová MP
Miroslav Kollár MPTomáš Valášek MP
Parliament of Estonia – Riigikogu
Vilja Toomast MPKalle Laanet MP
Madis Milling MPPaul Puustusmaa MP
Jüri Jaanson MP

Contact: miriam.lexmann-office@europarl.europa.eu 

              alexandr.vondra-office@europarl.europa.eu 

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