Following Dec. 10’s breaking of diplomatic ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday the former Ambassador to Nicaragua Iván Lee (???) has returned to Taiwan, with all remaining embassy staff to follow before Dec. 23.
The Dec. 23 deadline was set by the Nicaraguan government during negotiations between the two sides.
MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (???) made the comments when asked about the latest updates concerning the cutting of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Nicaragua.
According to a diplomatic source, it is customary for countries to take at least a month to recall their respective personnel following the severance of diplomatic relations.
The shorter two-week notice given to the Taiwan side gave them little time to prepare for the closure of its embassy and for the technical mission there to depart, the source told CNA.
On the basis of reciprocity, the Taiwan government has given the same deadline for the staff of the Nicaraguan embassy in Taipei to leave the country, according to Ou.
A total of 52 people including staff members and their families are leaving Nicaragua.
Meanwhile, Ou disclosed Tuesday that MOFA had learned about the possible diplomatic switch before Nicaragua announced its decision to cut ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing.
Vice Foreign Minister Alexander Yui (???), in charge of Latin American affairs at the ministry, had summoned Nicaraguan Ambassador Mirna Mariela Rivera Andio on Dec. 3 to express Taiwan’s solemn stance over the matter, Ou said, without elaborating.
Following the Dec. 3 meeting at the MOFA’s Taipei headquarters, MOFA had twice summoned Rivera with the latter refusing to visit the ministry, according to Ou.
Asked if Rivera had already left Taiwan, Ou did not give a direct answer, reiterating only that all Nicaragua embassy staff would have to leave the country by the Dec. 23 deadline.
Several Nicaraguans in Taiwan have previously told CNA that they were unable to establish contact with either Rivera nor any Nicaraguan embassy staff following the announcement of Nicaragua’s diplomatic switch to Beijing.
The termination of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China, which is Taiwan’s official name, and Nicaragua leaves Taiwan with 14 diplomatic allies worldwide.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (???) took office in 2016, Taiwan has lost eight diplomatic allies, namely Burkina Faso, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nicaragua.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel