On behalf of The Community Of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP)

Your Excellency Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Portugal and President of the Security Council,

I address You on behalf of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, CPLP, namely Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor and Angola, my own country, which is the current President of the Community.

At the outset, please allow me to welcome the participation in this session of H. E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs of East Timor, and Her Excellency the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil .

We are pleased to participate in this important meeting of the Security Council, which includes Brazil and Portugal as non-permanent members, dedicated to the analysis of the situation in East Timor.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary General for the submission of his report on the UN Integrated Mission in East Timor (UNMIT).

It is with great pleasure that I take the floor, particularly because this debate will discuss the situation in the most recent member of our community, East Timor. East Timor is one of the scenarios where cooperation within the CPLP has proved important for all Member States concerned, and we sincerely hope that the result of our joint efforts will benefit the country .

With the support of Member States, East Timor and the Executive Secretariat of the CPLP have been working towards the establishment of a Permanent Representative of the CPLP in Dili. We welcome the commitment of the Timorese authorities in this process, demonstrated by the recent allocation of a space for the representative, as well as the allocation of funds necessary to the construction of the Foreign Ministry, which we hope will very soon allow the implementation of the CPLP Strategic Plan for the country, especially regarding the promotion and dissemination of the Portuguese language as a vehicle of communication and everyday language of work and business, as well as institutional capacity building in the areas of justice and public administration.

It is with particular satisfaction that I recall the importance of the Eight Summit of Heads of State and Government of the CPLP, held in Luanda in July 23, 2010, where it was decided to reshape the future mandate of the Permanent Representation in Dili, so as to contain, as an equally central element, a strong cultural component to support the use of Portuguese in East Timor beyond the political component under its original mandate .

East Timor ’s commitment to forging a strong relationship with the CPLP has also been demonstrated in its performance as the current President of the CPLP Parliamentary Assembly, and in the good results achieved at its Third Session, held in Dili in late September .

Mr. President,

The Member States of the CPLP will remain committed to continuing the excellent cooperation with East Timor to strengthen its stability, the consolidation of its institutions and the growth of its economy, a process that also contributes to a growing affirmation of the country at the regional level, with benefits that will aid the projection of the CPLP in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Possibly as early as 2014, the Presidency of the CPLP will be another interesting challenge for East Timor, which will for the first time be in the leadership of the work of our Community.

In this context, ASEAN’s recent acceptance of East Timor’s application for membership to that regional space, and its appointment of a working group to analyze the process of accession itself, is a further demonstration East Timor’s progress in recent years .

I am also pleased to see that East Timor is taking its first steps as a country that contributes to peace and security in the world, as shown by the integration of the F-FDTL soldiers into the UNIFIL in Lebanon, as well as into the UNIOGBIS, in Guinea-Bissau, and the placement of a military observer in South Sudan.

In another aspect, East Timor will also certainly contribute with its example to a more peaceful and secure world; I am referring to the lessons learned and shared by East Timor with regard to the peaceful conduct of demobilization of veterans of the liberation struggle, of new military recruits, as well as the new legislative framework for the integration of the F-FDTL, in a process of professionalization of the Defense Forces of East Timor that should make proud all those that serve the people and democracy in East Timor.

East Timor has been consistently improving its position in the human development index, as shown by the latest report of the UNDP, and the recently adopted National Strategic Development Plan will certainly further boost the country’s strong economic growth despite the international crisis, as well as help to modernize the country and to combat poverty .

Mr. President,

The next year of 2012 will be of great importance for the consolidation of the Timorese democracy, and the Community I represent today has complete trust in the maturity of the people and leaders of East Timor to carry out the next political steps and we are certain that the next presidential and legislative elections will take place in an environment of peace and security, reflecting the positive developments the country has experienced in recent years. The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries maintains its solidarity with East Timor and has confidence in the people of East Timor’s capacity to maintain peace and stability, which are imperative conditions for an economic and social development that will make East Timor a contributor of increased stability and security in the region .

Thank You.