Prime Minister of Portugal Visits Timor-Leste to Identify Priorities for Cooperation Between the Two Countries.
Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, accompanied by several members of the 9th Constitutional Government, received on July 25th, 2023, at the Government Palace, the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, António Costa, who is on an official visit to Timor-Leste, on July 25th and 26th. 
This official visit, the first by a foreign Head of Government since the inauguration of the new executive last July 1st, will enable an analysis of the cooperation paths and lay the foundations for a future programme that meets the aspirations of both countries, allowing to identify the priorities of the new Government of Timor-Leste, to align the next cooperation programme, for the period 2024 to 2028, with national needs and goals.
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, during a dinner in honour of António Costa’s official visit, emphasised Timor-Leste’s interest in learning from the “experience, knowledge and innovation of the Portuguese” for the “establishment of a sustainable blue economy in Timor-Leste”, “not only to generate wealth for the population but to strengthen the climate and the ocean”. Xanana Gusmão emphasised that “from the sea, there is a whole range of sectors that present themselves as a potential instigator of sustainable development, from traditional to most recent sectors”. 
In his speech, the Timorese Head of Government also addressed decentralisation, another of the priorities of the mandate, in which “the Portuguese experience in the field of public and municipal administration is a source of knowledge and excellence that we can absorb to advance in this priority of ours”.
During his visit to the country, António Costa will also meet with the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta, and the President of the National Parliament, Fernanda Lay.
Also scheduled are a Dedication Ceremony of the Portuguese Cultural Centre to Former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio at the Portuguese Embassy in Dili, a visit to the National Parliament and the Santa Cruz Cemetery, and visits to educational institutions, such as the Portuguese School of Dili, the Portuguese Language Centre at the Universidade Nacional Timor-Lorosa’e, the Padre Antonio Vieira Youth Centre and Externato São José.
