The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, met with the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States in Timor-Leste, Tom Daley, on July 27th, 2023, at the Government Palace in Dili.
This was the first meeting since the inauguration of the 9th Constitutional Government. During the meeting, the American diplomat congratulated the Minister on his recent appointment as Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. He expressed the United States’ willingness to support the Government in achieving its priorities, further strengthening bilateral relations throughout the 9th Constitutional Government’s term.
The discussion included several cooperation projects between the United States and Timor-Leste, such as the Baucau Airfield rehabilitation project was highlighted and the partnership with the US agency Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which covers essential areas like education, sanitation, water supply and drainage.
Minister Agio Pereira briefed the American diplomat on the priorities for the first 120 days of the mandate presented by the Prime Minister at the inauguration of the Executive and the general lines of the Government Program, highlighting the unanimous support of the National Parliament.
Among the Executive’s priorities are economic development, the strengthening of the petroleum sector, investment in infrastructure, training of human resources, administrative decentralisation, job creation and Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
The Minister and the diplomat also discussed the agreement that allows the United States Government to maintain the rights to use the land of its Embassy in Dili and, in return, grants the Government of Timor-Leste new facilities for its Embassy in Washington and its mission to the United Nations in New York.