A delegation from Timor-Leste, led by the Secretary of State for ASEAN Affairs, Roberto Soares, participated in the Second Summit of the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) in Nadi, Fiji, from June 18th to 20th, 2014.
As a co-founding member of the Pacific Islands Development Forum, Timor-Leste’s delegation participated also in the inaugural meeting of the Governing Council of the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF), which was held on June 18th, 2014.
The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji who is the Chairman of PIDF, the President of the Republic of Kiribati, the President of the Republic of Nauru, the Vice-President of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Solomon Islands, the Secretary of State for ASEAN Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet of the Kingdom of Tonga, the Vice-Chairperson of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation and the Vice-Chairperson of the Pacific Islands Association of Non- Government Associations.
The Governing Council congratulated the members of the Senior Officials
Committee (SOC) for their hard work and commitment in guiding the establishment of the PIDF and the implementation of other decisions made at the Inaugural Summit in August 2013.
The delegation held a courtesy and sideline meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama. In the meeting, both the parties briefed each other on the respective development process of both countries and expressed willingness to broaden the scope of bilateral cooperation between Timor-Leste and Fiji. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji appreciated Timor-Leste’s development progress and reiterated his sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão for the inaugural address last year and financial support to establish the PIDF and support its programs and activities.
Timor-Leste delegates attended the Official Welcoming Ceremony of the Second Summit of PIDF in which the Heads of Delegation were given a Military Guard of Honor and Traditional Fiji Welcoming Ceremony. The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was the Chief-Guest of Honor and keynote Speaker for the Summit.
During the Summit, Roberto Soares congratulated both the Prime Minister and the PIDF Secretariat and expressed great confidence and support in PIDF in paving the way ahead for the Forum. He also commended the Fijian Government for its remarkable progress in its transition to democracy and political reforms especially in their preparation for holding the first genuinely democratic election in September 2014, under Fiji’s new Constitution, which gives every citizen of the country the right to cast his or her vote.
In his intervention, Secretary of State Roberto Soares highlighted that as a new country in Southeast Asia, located between two big neighboring countries, Australia and Indonesia, and two existing regional organizations, ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum, Timor-Leste certainly attaches great importance to both countries and regions, in which we believe, we share so many common challenges and opportunities.
Being a member of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Counties (CPLP) and aspiring member of ASEAN, a founding member of g7+ and PIDF, Timor-Leste is determined to play a prominent role in bridging the Pacific with ASEAN and the CPLP, thus further expanding the network of partnerships, friendships and solidarity. In this context, Timor-Leste reiterated its full support to the PIDF to move forward and to create a development agenda that is sustainable and reflective of its own context, history, values, culture, and above all a development pursuit in the Pacific way. Roberto Soares emphasized that Timor-Leste has contributed with $250,000 to the PIDF programs and activities, and will continue to extend its modest contribution in whatever manner it can in the years ahead. Timor-Leste always attaches great importance to the promotion of genuine and enduring partnership to safeguard transparency and good governance, confidence, support and trust in the leadership of the Pacific islands States in bringing forward the PIDF to be able to realize the theme of green economic growth in the Pacific.
Secretary Soares also took the opportunity to brief the PIDF delegates on Timor-Leste’s development process, Timor-Leste’s commitment to transparency such as the establishment of Timor-Leste’s Petroleum Funds Law, and its role in the g7+ group, its assistance to Guinea-Bissau as part of Timor-Leste’s diplomacy enhancement and conflict resolution endeavors in and beyond the region. Secretary Roberto Soares also informed of Timor-Leste’s chairmanship of CPLP. Being both a Southeast Asian country and a member of the CPLP, Timor-Leste will play a crucial role in acting as a conduit between Asia and the Pacific for partnerships and solidarity.
The Secretary of State for ASEAN Affairs, His Excellency Roberto Sarmento de Oliveira Soares, was accompanied by the Desk Officer for Regional Affairs, Samuel Soares and Administrative and Protocol Officer for ASEAN Affairs, Guido de Fatima Cabral Abel, and a TVTL journalist/reporter, Francisco Xavier Correia.