The initiative of Timor-Leste in the energy sector an example for the CPLP
Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and
Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
Díli, June 26th, 2015
The initiative of Timor-Leste in the energy sector an example for the CPLP
This week the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, H.E. Alfredo Pires, has represented Timor-Leste at the First Meeting of Energy Ministers of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries [CPLP] and the First Conference on Energy for the Development of the CPLP held in Cascais, Portugal.
Timor-Leste has been a proactive member of the CPLP in the area of energy during its Presidency and Minister Pires emphasized that “now is the time for the CPLP to work together in the energy area, making it a player in the global energy map.” Portugal’s Minister for Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy, H.E. Jorge Moreira da Silva said at the Conference “the CPLP has extraordinary potential in the energy sector” pointing to an expectation that “in ten years the CPLP countries will be world’s fourth largest producer of oil and gas.”
During the Conference Minister Pires was President of a panel on “Energy investment prospects in the CPLP countries” and a key presenter in the session on “Energy policies for the 21st Century”. He had the honor of closing the event on Thursday afternoon. Also participating in the conference was the President and CEO of TIMOR GAP Mr. Francisco da Costa Monteiro who was a panel member in the session on energy investment prospects and key speaker at a Special Lunch Event on TIMOR GAP.
Mr. Mateus da Costa, Director of Exploration at Timor-Leste’s National Petroleum Authority [ANP] presented at a session on “Hydrocarbons – Oil and Gas” where fellow Timorese, Mr. Hélio Guterres, President of the Institute of Petroleum and Geology of Timor-Leste participated on the panel.
Prior to the commencement of the Conference and following the First Meeting of the Energy Ministers of the CPLP on the 23rd of June, representatives of the nine CPLP countries signed the “Cascais Statement” emphasizing “the need to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the Member States of the CPLP to jointly develop initiatives that promote capacity building, training, technical and scientific exchange and sharing of information.” In the statement Timor-Leste was cited as an example of a country that is seeking to promote the creation of partnerships and investments in the energy area with “the establishment of a consortium for oil exploration in the onshore area of Timor-Leste open to the participation of companies from CPLP countries.”
The “Cascais Statement” also included an expression of solidarity with Timor-Leste regarding the settlement of maritime borders noting the CPLP’s expectation “that the maritime border demarcation between Timor-Leste and Australia should be in accordance with the principles of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
Spokesperson for the Sixth Constitutional Government, Minister of State Agio Pereira noted “Timor-Leste has sought to invigorate energy sector cooperation amongst the CPLP countries and the Ministers Meeting and Conference in Cascais has been an excellent platform to promote partnerships and highlight economic opportunities. The CPLP Member States, including Timor-Leste will benefit greatly through networking to achieve the best outcomes in the management of our considerable natural resources.”
