Eny Yamileth Bautista Guevara, the outgoing Honduran ambassador to Taiwan, was awarded a state honor on Tuesday in recognition of her efforts in strengthening bilateral relations, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
In a ceremony held at MOFA's Taipei headquarters, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (???) presented the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to Bautista, who will be soon ending her nearly three-year tenure as the Central America nation's top representative to Taiwan.
The Order of Brilliant Star is a civilian order recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of Taiwan and can be awarded to both Taiwanese and foreign nationals.
In his address, Wu praised the ambassador for her efforts in "tirelessly promoting bilateral friendship" since assuming her current post in December 2019.
Bautista's contributions spanned a wide array of fields, and enhanced people-to-people friendship and understanding between the two sides, Wu said.
He also praised the outgoing ambassador's help in facilitating the visit of a number of senior Honduran government officials to Taiwan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response, Bautista expressed gratitude to Taiwan for the assistance and friendship extended to her during her tenure.
The state honor reflected the strong bond and long-lasting friendship between the two countries, she added.
The ambassador said Taiwan and Honduras enjoyed a solid relationship based on the shared values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.
She added that she believed the relationship would be further strengthened through joint efforts to tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic, climate change, global security, and international trade.
Both Taiwan and Honduras have yet to announce Bautista's successor.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel