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I want to begin by expressing my thanks, Mr. President of the Republic, for the hospitality with which my Wife and I were welcomed in East Timor. I am extremely honoured by being able to share with the People and the Portuguese Community of East Timor the celebratory environment being lived here on this day.
East Timor is a history of success. It is in fact very pleasing and a source of hope to appreciate how much the Timorese have achieved in this decade of independence. The country now asserts itself internationally as a free and democratic nation, after the courageous and determined battle for freedom undertaken by the People of Timor.
And, from the other end of the World, it received the support and the solidarity of the People of another country – the cause of East Timor was also the cause of the People of Portugal. There are many Portuguese in East Timor today who then shared, with the Timorese, the dream of Independence.
The presence and the actions of the Portuguese Community in East Timor have, for this same reason, a very special feature, in its involvement and its proximity with the Timorese society.
I have perceived, in the several contacts held here, that the Timorese authorities, when attributing a strategic value to the excellent relations and cooperation maintained with Portugal, plan, on a political level, what is felt by both Peoples. I thus have no doubts that this cooperation will prosper even more in the future.
I want to greet the Portuguese Community in East Timor and thank them for having accepted my invitation to join us here, this evening.
At the same time, I want to thank the representatives of the Timorese society present here today, how warmly, and with open arms, they have welcomed the Portuguese in East Timor, powering the success of our cooperation.
Portuguese and Timorese, in spite of the geographic distance, are linked by historic, cultural and friendly bonds. This unique understanding between our two countries mainly results from the Portuguese language, which nowadays is equally an instrument that projects both our countries internationally.
I thus could not have found a better place for this fraternal conviviality than this School where, every day, 800 students, largely Timorese in number, pursue their studies in Portuguese, contributing towards the growth of one of the idioms in greater expansion all over the World. I want, as a consequence, to express my recognition for the work carried out by its teachers and, equally, to the first 12th year finalists from the Ruy Cinatti School that, in the current school year, are already studying in Portuguese universities with grants from the Timorese government. I congratulate them all in the person of the School’s Director.
The progressive introduction of Portuguese as a teaching language in all the Timorese schools was an ambitious decision of the Patron Founders of the Republic, an achievement that, although arrived at under conditions that were not always very easy, is nonetheless a deep commitment of East Timor with the uniqueness of its History and its culture, materialized in its adhesion to the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, a Community based on common language and values.
It is fundamental to conquer the challenge of training in the Portuguese language, which has been understood and approached with conviction by our two countries and by CPLP as well. Portugal has, for this reason, made great efforts in this sense, always in close partnership with the Timorese authorities. The instruments agreed, between last September and last January, between the Portuguese Government and His Excellency the East Timor Minister for Education will allow meeting this challenge with great confidence.
A special word is also due to the efforts made in the Judiciary.
I particularly wish to single out the role of the Lord President of the Court of Appeal, Chief Justice Cláudio Ximenes, in the consolidation of the new judiciary system of his country of origin. The bridge he built between the judiciary systems of the two countries through, on the one hand, the promotion of interchange between magistrates and, on the other, the welcoming of Portuguese magistrates in the courts of East Timor, was a eulogy of the cooperation between our two Peoples.
For what Chief Justice Cláudio Ximenes has achieved and for what he represents, I will later have the great honour to decorate him with the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator, which I decided to attribute as recognition from the Portuguese Republic.
The Portuguese Community in East Timor greatly contributes towards the vitality of the Timorese social fabric, distinguishing itself in many actions of solidarity and social aid. In this context I also want to single out instances of unselfish effort of two persons who are with us here today.
Brother Hospitaller Vítor Lameiras, placed in Laclubar 9 years ago by Dom Basílio do Nascimento, where he set up the first Mental Health Reference Centre in the country, opened in 2011.
And Sister Maria da Luz Henriques, Franciscan of the Divine Providence, placed in Padiae ten years ago by Dom Alberto Ricardo in Padiae, 13 hours away by boat from the capital, and where, with the support of the Portuguese Ministry for Social Solidarity, she set up a Community Reference Centre, intended to breach new horizons of hundreds of children and youths.
It is with great pride that, on behalf of the Portuguese Republic, I have decided to attribute them the grade of Commanders of the Order of Merit.
Dear Timorese friends and fellow countrymen,
History is not just a matter of the past; it is built in the present and projects itself in the future. The Portuguese Community in East Timor is, together with the Timorese, an agent of History, both of the History of this young country and of the History of a bilateral relationship, in one of its most shining chapters, that requires recognition and enhancement.
Portugal is proud of those who are here. East Timor, as a sovereign, free and independent country, was also a Portuguese dream. Today, Portugal continues to contribute towards the consolidation of a democratic Rule of Law and for the social and cultural development of East Timor.
I know that much is being done and am certain that a lot more will continue being done in the future. Our investment will be firm in projects that promote the development of East Timor and in actions of mutual interest. Here, in East Timor, the wish for cooperation has gone from words to actions. And much of this is owed to our Community in East Timor and to the Timorese People.
On behalf of Portugal, I render our sincere thanks for your work, which brings us great prestige and places the names of both our countries at the highest levels. I wish you all the best of success.
Thank you very much.
© 2012 Presidency of the Portuguese Republic
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