Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Following two weeks of training in Taipei, 40 “youth ambassadors” under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MOFA) annual program will embark on a 10-day trip to Saint Lucia in early September to promote friendship between the two countries.
During a send-off ceremony at MOFA headquarters on Thursday, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (???) encouraged the youth ambassadors to actively engage with the people of Saint Lucia and thereby “bring relations between the two countries closer.”
Recalling his own visits to the Caribbean allied nation, Wu expressed confidence that the youth ambassadors’ trip from Sept. 2-11 will be a rewarding experience.
The youth ambassador program provides young people in Taiwan with an opportunity to be exposed to the cultures of countries allied to the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name), Saint Lucian Ambassador to Taiwan Robert Kennedy Lewis said at the event.
The youth ambassadors selected for this year’s program will have an “unforgettable” experience visiting Saint Lucia and help deepen people-to-people ties between the two nations, he added.
According to MOFA, the ambassadors, all of them Taiwan nationals aged 18-35 who are still undergraduate or graduate students, were selected because of their good command of English, special talents in the performing arts, or outstanding skills in cooking.
Speaking about the required two-week training for the program, Youth Ambassador Lin Ta-he (???) said it was intense but helped all the participants foster a close connection.
Lin, who spoke on behalf of his peers, said all of the ambassadors are fully prepared for the upcoming trip and share the same goal of projecting a positive image of Taiwan overseas.