By Huang Ya-shih and Lee Hsin-Yin
TAIWAN, Taipei, (CNA) – The Formosa Club, a pro-Taiwan parliamentarian group in Europe, posted a letter on its Twitter account Tuesday supporting Taiwan’s bid to attend the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly.
“Aviation safety transcends national borders and must not be politicized,” a total of 142 lawmakers from 30 countries said in the letter addressed to ICAO President Salvatore Sciacchitano.
The Formosa Club is a group of cross-party European legislators who are working to enhance Europe-Taiwan relations and help connect Taiwan with the rest of the world.
Taiwan is a key air traffic hub connecting Northeast and Southeast Asia, with the heavily traveled Taipei Flight Information Region (Taipei FIR) overseeing 18 international routes and four domestic ones, the lawmakers said.
Despite being an indispensable part of the global aviation network, Taiwan continues to be excluded from ICAO meetings, activities and mechanisms, they argued.
Furthermore, they expressed concern in the wake of the military exercises conducted by China around Taiwan in August, which affected international air routes and jeopardized aviation safety in the Taipei FIR and neighboring FIRs.
In response, Taiwan’s foreign ministry thanked the group for supporting the country’s inclusion in the ICAO, which will hold its 41st assembly from September 27 – October 7.