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Dili, August 25th, 2015
Press Release
Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 25th, 2015
The Council of Ministers met extraordinarily on August 25th, 2015, in their meeting room, at the Government Palace in Dili, for a progress report on the bilateral cooperation, to discuss at the official visit to Indonesia, which the Prime Minister starts today.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Hernâni Coelho, made a brief presentation on the common interests of the two countries, stressing that Indonesia is the most populous country of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the fourth in the world. According to a recent report by the World Bank, Indonesia is among the ten largest economies in the world.
The relations between Timor-Leste and Indonesia are excellent. The high-level visits that have taken place in recent years demonstrate a strong political commitment and good bilateral relations.
Cooperation already takes place today in several areas and the two countries share mutual concerns at the regional and global levels, such as the protection of marine diversity in the Coral Triangle and increased dialog between the countries of the South West Pacific.
With the aim to further develop these and other issues of mutual interest, the Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo, chose to be accompanied by a delegation composed of the Minister of State, Coordinator of Social Affairs and Minister of Education, António da Conceição, the Minister of State, Coordinator of Economic Affairs and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Estanislau da Silva, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Hernâni Coelho, the Minister of Finance, Santina Cardoso, the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications, Gastão de Sousa, the Minister of Defense, Cirilo Cristóvão and the Minister for Planning and Strategic Investment, Xanana Gusmão.
The Council of Ministers also analyzed the proposal for the completion of the “National Mourning” – the ceremonies to mark the end of the nation’s mourning for Timorese heroes who perished in the struggle for national liberation -, which is scheduled to start next month.