On September 16th, in Dili, the Government of Timor-Leste and the Government of Japan signed an agreement to strengthen their cooperation in the area of training to FALINTIL – Defence Forces of Timor-Leste (F-DFTL).
The Agreement was signed by the Minister of State and of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, José Luis Guterres, and the Ambassador of Japan in Timor-Leste, Yoshitaka Hanada. The Secretary of State for Defense, Júlio Tomás Pinto was also present at the ceremony.
According to the Secretary of State for Defense, “under this cooperation Agreement, the Japanese Government will send instructors to provide technical training to the F-FDTL staff, namelly in the area of resolution and management of problems caused by natural disasters.”
Júlio Tomás Pinto also added that “this Agreement is a positive one because the members of F-FDTL will acquire competencies in performimng vehicle maintenance services, which are presently in poor conditions, and will be able to solve mechanical issues by themselves. Presently there are many countries which involve military personnel in the management and resolution of problems related to natural disasters.
Mr. Yoshitaka Hanada, the Ambassador of Japan in Timor Leste, stated that “the Japanese Government is available to train and empower the F-FDTL, and in the future, this agreement will also strengthen the cooperation between Timor-Leste and Japan.”