Prime Minister of Portugal in a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste
The Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão received the Prime Minister of Portugal, Pedro Passos Coelho, at the Government Palace, in a bilateral meeting held on July 24, during what was, also, the first official visit of the Head of the Portuguese Government to Timor-Leste.
After the inspection of the Guard of Honor, the Prime Ministers and respective delegations gathered in the Room of the Council of Ministers, and addressed the various areas of bilateral cooperation - Education, Justice, Public Finance, Health, Defense and Security - represented by Ministers and Secretaries of State responsible for those areas.
After the meeting, several legal instruments were signed by the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, and witnessed by their Prime Ministers.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Luís Guterres, and his Portuguese counterpart, Rui Machete, signed the Strategic Cooperation Program, Portugal - Timor-Leste.
The Minister of Education, Bendito Freitas, also signed a cooperation protocol on the " Project of Pedagogical Sharing " with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
In the area of health, the Ministers of Health of Timor-Leste and of Portugal, Sérgio Lobo and Paulo Macedo, respectively, signed four collaboration protocols: definition of suitable profiles for High Level Management Positions in the area of Health for the Ministry of Health of Timor-Leste; to strengthen the technical and regulatory capacity; in training for professionals who will integrate the Offices of Members of the Government or agencies of the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the Collaboration Protocol for the establishment of a national government structure of pre-hospital emergency in Timor-Leste.
Two MoUs - one in the area of youth and another in the area of sports - were also signed by the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports of Timor-Leste, Miguel Manetelu, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal, Luís Campos Ferreira.
At the end of the official meeting, Pedro Passos Coelho and Xanana Gusmão, made statements to the press where th
ey showed themselves to be quite pleased with this meeting. The Heads of Government of Portugal and Timor-Leste mentioned areas in which both countries cooperate and also the possible support and consolidation of other sectors such as energy and economy, not forgetting the private sector and investment. The two Prime Ministers also mentioned the Portuguese language as a pillar of focus between these brother countries that "not only speak the same language but share a common history and culture".
Pedro Passos Coelho also congratulated the Government for its work on the organization of the CPLP Summit, which noted it "reveals a country worthy of trust".
After having participated in the Tenth Conference of Heads of State and Government of the CPLP, the Prime Minister of Portugal, Pedro Passos Coelho, is on an official visit to Timor-Leste from the 24th to the 25th of July.
