Taiwan can help fight piracy to promote its status: former U.S. official

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

30 Sep 2011

Taiwan, as long as it has the resources and will, can help combat piracy, which has been plaguing many countries in the Indian Ocean, said a former United States official recently.

Kurt Volker, a former U. S. Permanent Representative to NATO, made the remarks Tuesday after he gave a speech organized by the Foreign Service Institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the European Union Centre in Taiwan. Responding to a question on how Taiwan can promote itself internationally, he said combating piracy is a good example for the common good of the world as every country's shipping is affected by the problem. "We have had very diverse multi-national task forces, where the issue has really been whoever has the capacity to contribute is welcome because no one can contribute enough," said Volker, adding that many countries and organizations have provided assistance, including China, the U. S., NATO, and the European Union. "Everyone is contributing to this, and I don't see why Taiwan can't do the same thing," he said. He acknowledged that Beijing may not approve of the move, but noted: "Taiwan can contribute to an international operation in some formula" just like joining APEC as an economy, not a country. "I'm sure there's a reasonable way to do this if you frame it in a right way of protecting interest," Volker added. He cited Estonia and Lithuania as examples of how small countries with no ability to defend themselves from Russia can still make contributions to the world and be taken seriously by the world. He was referring to Estonia setting up the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn to provide cyber defense support, and Lithuania playing a part in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Volker, 49, came to Taiwan on the request of the MOFA. Before serving as a U. S. representative to NATO from 2008-2009, he joined the United States' Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer. Now he teaches at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, at Johns Hopkins University. Having dealt with European affairs for a long time, he said he wanted to use this trip to Asia to gain a better understanding of the Asia-Pacific region. A senior MOFA official on Wednesday evening told CNA that Taiwan has had a task force to "make all diplomatic preparations" regarding the issue of counter-piracy, but declined to reveal any details. Besides holding cross-ministry conferences within the country, Taiwan is also consulting with its international friends on the issue, according to the official. "There are multiple channels and everything has been underway," the official said.
Source: CNA