Taipei, April 1 (CNA) Thomas Mirow, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) , will visit Taiwan next week to forge closer links between the bank and Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Friday.
Mirow's visit April 5-7 will also mark the 20th anniversary of Taiwan's cooperation with the EBRD, which is owned by 61 countries and two inter-governmental institutions and supports development in countries from central Europe to central Asia, the MOFA said in a press release.
Mirow, who will be visiting Taiwan for the first time, is scheduled to meet with Vice President Vincent Siew, Vice Premier Sean Chen, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang, Central Bank Governor Perng Fai-nan, Finance Minister Lee Sush-der and other high-ranking members of government.
Mirow and Yang will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for Taiwan to contribute about US$4 million to the replenishment of the EBRD technical cooperation fund, the MOFA said.
Mirow will also sign an MOU with Taiwan's International Cooperation Development Fund (ICDF) for the ICDF to put US$80 million into the EBRD Green Energy Special Fund, the ministry said.
"This is another fine example of the cooperation between the EBRD and Taiwan and I very much look forward to deepening our relationship during my visit," Mirow said.
Taiwan has been cooperating with the EBRD since the bank was established in 1991, contributing to the EBRD Balkan Region Special Fund, the Mongolia Cooperation Fund, the Early Transition Countries Fund and the Sustainable Energy Initiative.
Taiwanese companies have also increased their activities in the EBRD region in recent years, in areas such as helping with the establishment of an electronic ticket system for the Ukrainian capital of Kiev and holding seminars on mass transportation for officials from Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Romania, according to the MOFA. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc