DR. RAMOS-HORTA SIGN MOU ON ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATIONS AND DIPLOMATIC TRAINING WITH PRESIDENT GLORIA ARROYO

Manila, 16 September 2004
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo received today in the Malacanang Palace Timor-Leste's Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, who arrived in Manila on the 14th for a three-day official visit to the Philippines.

Dr. Ramos-Horta thanked President Arroyo for Philippines leading role in the international community's response to the September 1999 violence. A battalion-strong Philippino peace-keepers were in Timor-Leste from day one in September 1999 till the end of 2002. Besides peace-keepers, the Philippines contributed and still contributes with police, civilian advisers, human resources and capacity building.

Immediately upon his arrival in Manila on the 14th, Dr. Ramos-Horta held long discussion with his Philippino counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo. At the end of the meeting, both ministers signed two frame-work documents outlining the desire of the two governments to cooperate in economic and technical fields, including food processing industry, small and medium sized enterprise development,etc.

An East Timorese junior diplomat will be accepted into a six-month course conducted by the Phlippines Foreign Service Institute.

During his visit to the Philippines, Minister Ramos-Horta held extensive talks with government officials, MPs, the local business community, briefing them on the political and security climate in Timor-Leste, the legal framework for foreign investments, etc offering a very positive and encouraging perspective of Timor-Leste.

The Republic of Philippines maintains an Embassy in Timor-Leste and while a E Timorese embassy in Manila has not being contemplated in the current fiscal year, Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta hopes that Timor-Leste will be able to establish an Embassy in Manila next fiscal year. At present, Timor-Leste is represented by an Honorary-Consul.

Throughout his stay in the Philippines, Dr. Ramos-Horta spoke warmly of the existing fraternal relations between the two countries and peoples who share the same Iberian colonial heritage and the Catholic faith. Timor-Leste and the Philippines are the only two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia.

Dr. Ramos-Horta is accompanied in his visit to Manila by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mr. Nelson Santos, and by T-L Ambassador in Jakarta, Rev. Arlindo Marcal.

Dr. Ramos-Horta departs for New York on the 17th where he will attend the coming UN General Assembly session.