Agreement Signed in Lisbon
“The process is complete on the part of Timor-Leste and I think that on the part of Portugal as well and we will sign tomorrow (Tuesday) in a meeting with my counterpart Augusto Santos Silva,” said Dionísio Babo Soares, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste.
The minister spoke to journalists at the headquarters of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) in Lisbon following a meeting with the organization’s executive secretary, Francisco Ribeiro Telles.
About the Strategic Cooperation Program
The Portugal–Timor-Leste Strategic Cooperation Program 2018–2022 (PEC) was approved in March by the Council of Ministers in Dili. It carries an indicative financial envelope of €70 million for cooperation projects centred on three axes:
- Consolidation of the rule of law and good governance
- Education, training, and culture
- Inclusive socio-economic development
Despite being signed in 2019 — delayed due to the political situation in Timor-Leste — the PEC covers the period between 2018 and 2022, as the previous program officially ended in 2017.
CPLP Meeting and Guinea-Bissau Situation
At the CPLP meeting, Francisco Ribeiro Telles and Dionísio Babo Soares also reviewed the issues on the organization’s agenda, including Timorese positions on key dossiers, in particular the political situation in Guinea-Bissau.
“We are keeping a close eye on the situation in Guinea-Bissau and we hope that everything will be resolved as soon as possible so that there is democratic governance that can work for the well-being of the Guinean people,” said Dionísio Babo Soares.
The CPLP executive secretary described as a “positive step” the nomination of Aristides Gomes as Guinea-Bissau’s new prime minister, more than three months after the March 10 elections. The nomination came after Guinean President José Mário Vaz refused to appoint Domingos Simões Pereira — president of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and winner of the elections.
“Guinea-Bissau will have an electoral calendar, it will have presidential elections in November and hopefully everything will normally happen in order to create all the conditions for the next elections to take place in a positive atmosphere,” said Ribeiro Telles.