The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Magalhães, participated on March 30th, 2022, in an open class, titled “The Geopolitics of Timor-Leste and the Indo-Pacific”, in Lisbon, Portugal.
This event, organized by the Orient Institute and the Centre for Studies on Fragile Countries Affected by Conflicts, was held at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP-Acronym in Portuguese), University of Lisbon. The Centre for Studies on Fragile Countries Affected by Conflicts was created in December 2021 due to a partnership between ISCSP and g7+.
Minister Fidelis Magalhães began his presentation by stating that it was an “immense pleasure to come back to ISCSP”, his former university, and highlighted “the ever-increasing collaboration between Timor-Leste and the Institute”, namely with the “continuous involvement with IDN (Institute of National Defence)” and with the “establishment of the Centre [of Studies on Fragile Countries Affected by Conflicts] for the g7+ here at the Institute”.
The Minister also expressed his willingness to “explore avenues for future collaboration with ISCSP” and with INAP (National Institute of Public Administration), which is under his supervision, to achieve his “wish to have a competent civil service in Timor-Leste.
In this open class, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers provided an analysis of “Timor-Leste’s relations with its neighbours and the main global powers “, with the objective of “not only shed light on the US Indo-Pacific strategy and its relevance for Timor-Leste but also to provide a better picture of Timor-Leste’s thinking and understanding of its place in the region and the world by examining the country’s relationships with other countries and regional blocks”.
Fidelis Magalhães stated that he believes “that Timor-Leste is a lighthouse for democracy and human rights in the region” and that “this success can only be sustainable with a deeper political engagement and stronger support from our development partners”.