The Secretary of State for the Council of Ministers and

Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste

 

Díli,February 14, 2012

 

Prime Minister of Timor-Leste to visit Australia to launch book and honour war heroes of past

The Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, will visit Australia between the 17^th and 23^rd of February.

After meeting in Canberra with his counterpart, Australian Prime Minister the Honourable Julia Gillard, Mr. Gusmão will travel to Sydney where he is to take part in a ceremony commemorating 70 years since the beginning of the Battle of the Timor Sea.

The 19^th of February 1942 marks the official beginning of this battle and was the date the Australian city of Darwin was bombed by Japanese forces. Prime Minister Gusmão will join the Lieutenant Governor of NSW, Members of Federal Parliament and other distinguished guests in this solemn ceremony of commemoration. The Prime Minister was personally invited to lay a wreath at this ceremony by the Australian Commandoes Association whose members saw active service in Timor-Leste during the Second World War.

Also during his trip to Australia the Prime Minister will be launching the publication of a book of collected speeches entitled “Xanana Gusmão: Strategies for the Future”. These speeches have been drawn from the period encompassing 2007 – 2011 and cover topics such as development, governance, international meetings, law and security. The Governor of NSW will be speaking at the launch in Sydney. A launch in Melbourne will be held at Victoria University.

The trip will provide a platform to further introduce our near neighbors to the Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 and to express our appreciation for the long-term commitment of the Australian government and people in our successful and productive bilateral cooperation. This visit of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and the recent Australian Government support and endorsement of the g7+ initiative and the New Deal presented in Busan South Korea last year reflects this commitment.