Visiting Czech speaker urges Taiwan to not take freedom and democracy for granted

Описание: The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday received the speaker of the Czech Parliament’s lower house, Marketa Pekarova Adamova. The speaker voiced strong support for Taiwan in its fight against authoritarianism, pointing to Ukraine as sobering reminder of the threats posed by authoritarian regimes. She urged the people of Taiwan to not take democracy and freedom for granted, adding that the Czech Republic would always stand with Taiwan.

Czech Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova greets scholars at National Taiwan University in Mandarin, earning a roaring applause. In her speech at the university, she reiterated the Czech Republic’s support for Taiwan.

Marketa Pekarova Adamova
Czech speaker
Beijing’s regime must know that Taiwan has many democratic allies. If the Chinese Communist Party decides to attack Taiwan, they will fail.

Earlier in the day, the speaker visited the Legislative Yuan, where she was received by Legislative Speaker You Si-kun and lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties. They all posed for a photo together, much like two years ago, when Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil led a delegation to Taiwan. Since then, bilateral ties have only deepened.

You conferred a medal upon Pekarova Adamova in recognition of her contributions to Taiwan-Czechia relations.

You Si-kun
Legislative speaker
Stronger cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic is not just in the interests of the Czech Republic. Back in 1968, the anti-authoritarian uprising of the Prague Spring brought the spirit of revolution to Taiwan.

Marketa Pekarova Adamova
Czech speaker
Unfortunately, many people have lost their ideals of preserving safety and living in peace. It’s naive to think that war will never reenter our lives. We have all seen what’s been happening over the past year in Ukraine, which is not far from the Czech Republic. We have witnessed a brutal conflict, and flagrant violations of international law.

Taiwan and the Czech Republic both have a similar history of their fight against authoritarianism. Pekarova Adamova’s visit comes amid high international tensions that have only intensified since Vystrcil’s visit. She stressed that democracy and freedom should not be taken for granted and should be protected.

Marketa Pekarova Adamova
Czech speaker
Dear legislative colleagues. Dear people of Taiwan. I would hereby like to assure you all that we stand with you, and that we will continue to stand with you. We stand together no matter what, because if you stand with us, we stand with you.

The Czech speaker emphasized that her country stood with Taiwan. Across distance and language, the two would defend the same values and protect each other, she said.