Taiwan and Palau signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Sunday in Taoyuan to strengthen bilateral cooperation regarding the two nations’ Austronesian ethnic groups.

Minister of Council of Indigenous Peoples Icyang Parod and Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Palau minister of human resources, culture, tourism and development, signed the MOU at a ceremony witnessed by Palau President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., who arrived in Taiwan on Oct. 5 at the head of a Palau delegation for a state visit and to attend this year’s National Day celebrations on Monday.

Lauding his deep ties with Palau, Icyang said he had visited the country four times and had met with several Palau delegations on their visits to Taiwan.

Tmetuchl and his tourism development team had also visited indigenous communities in Hualien and Taitung counties in eastern Taiwan to gain an understanding of Taiwan’s policies in promoting aboriginal tourism, Icyang said.

Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, which comprise about two percent of the population, are Austronesian, and share ethnic and linguistic ties with other Austronesian people in countries across Southeast Asia and the Pacific such as Palau.
Bilateral exchanges continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Icyang noted, adding that the MOU inked Sunday would open a window for more comprehensive cooperation between the two countries on the sustainable development of their respective Austronesian communities.

Tmetuchl said that his and Icyang’s government agencies had maintained cooperative ties and engaged in exchanges for more than 10 years and achieving sustainable development for indigenous peoples was of great importance.

He said through cooperation and exchanges, Palau had a better understanding of how to incorporate indigenous cultures into travel and tourism.

Tmetuchl also shared his idea of developing close ties between indigenous tribal groups in the two countries by forging sisterhood ties.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel