The President of the Republic addressed a congratulatory message to the President of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, José Ramos Horta, on the occasion of the country's National Day.

Following is the text of the message:

"Mister President and Dear Friend,

On the occasion of the celebrations of the National Day of East Timor, I am particularly pleased to address Your Excellency, on behalf of the People of Portugal and in my own personal name, our warmest congratulations and sincere wishes for the prosperity of our brethren people of East Timor.

In this very special moment for all the Timorese and friends of East Timor, I want to reiterate to Your Excellency my personal endeavour for the deepening of the permanent relations of friendship and cooperation between our brethren peoples, as well as the wish, shared by all the Portuguese, to continue contributing towards the future of peace, development and progress which is the right of the people of East Timor.

I allow myself on this occasion to emphasize our common determination in the defence and development of the heritage we share in the fold of CPLP, convinced that such an objective is not just the wish of our Peoples, but also because it is the best path for the assertion of our interests and of the furthering of our objectives in the international field.

Renewing my congratulations, I beg you to accept, Mister President and my Dear Friend, my best regards and my highest consideration and personal esteem.

Aníbal Cavaco Silva"