(AseanAll) — Following his participation in the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), the Minister of State Administration of Timor-Leste, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, held three meetings with Portuguese government officials in Lisbon on July 21st, 2025, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas strategic to the institutional development of Timor-Leste.
At the first meeting, Tomás do Rosário Cabral met with the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, and the Deputy Minister and Minister for State Reform, Gonçalo Saraiva Matias, to discuss possibilities for cooperation in the areas of administrative modernisation and institutional capacity-building. Document organisation and management were one of the central themes considered essential for a more efficient and transparent public administration, with an emphasis on strengthening the role of the National Archives of Timor-Leste and expanding the one-stop shop, which is already in the implementation phase and planned to be extended to all municipalities in the country. The introduction of Portuguese in public administration, especially in municipal services, was also discussed in the context of training civil servants and preparing for the 2027 local elections.
At the second meeting with the Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral, the enhancement of cooperation in electoral administration was discussed, as it is considered essential for consolidating democratic rule of law and ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes. Tomás do Rosário Cabral outlined the ongoing efforts to modernise the electoral law, which is currently under review, to make it more inclusive and aligned with international best practices. Opportunities for Portuguese technical support were identified, particularly in the process of revising the Electoral Code and in preparing for local elections and future general elections in Timor-Leste.
On the same day, Minister Tomás Cabral also met with the Portuguese Minister of National Defence to discuss cooperation in enhancing and preserving the archival heritage shared by the two countries. Tomás Cabral emphasised the importance of strengthening the National Archives of Timor-Leste's role in safeguarding the common historical memory and expressed interest in joint initiatives, such as expert exchanges, technical training, and working visits, to modernise the national archival system.
The Portuguese Minister of National Defence welcomed the proposal and agreed to draft a future cooperation agreement between the two ministries. This will include the exchange of technical teams to share knowledge and experience in digitisation and document management, contributing to preserve the common historical memory and strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Timor-Leste and Portugal.
Portuguese government officials expressed their willingness to collaborate with institutions such as the Agency for Administrative Modernisation (AMA), the Camões Institute, the National Institute of Administration (INA), and the Portuguese electoral administration, among others, to speed up the discussion and realisation of cooperation projects proposed by Timor-Leste.
The meetings were attended by Isabel Amaral Guterres, the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Portugal, and Benigno Humberto da Cruz, the Chief of Staff of the Minister of State Administration.
