Meeting with East Timor's Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa
Media release
23 June 2010
I met today with my East Timorese counterpart, Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa.
Mr da Costa is visiting Australia with President José Ramos-Horta. President Ramos-Horta is conducting a State Visit to Australia as a Guest of the Australian Government.
Foreign Minister da Costa's last official visit to Australia was as a Guest of the Australian Government in February 2009.
We last met during the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2009, where we held the Australia-East Timor-Indonesia trilateral meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.
During our meeting today, Foreign Minister da Costa and I discussed Australia's development assistance, the United Nations' engagement with East Timor, and Australia's continuing security support through our leadership of the International Stabilisation Force.
On the basis of the close and cooperative bilateral relationship, we discussed Timor Sea matters, including Australia and East Timor's views on the development of the Greater Sunrise field.
Australia's long-standing position is that a decision about development of Greater Sunrise is for the commercial partners to make, consistent with the treaties Australia and East Timor have negotiated. Australia will continue to discuss the matter with East Timor in a consultative manner.
Australia is committed to supporting East Timor's development as a stable and prosperous nation. Australia will contribute over $100 million in development assistance to East Timor during 2010-11.
Four hundred Australian troops are deployed to East Timor as part of the International Stabilisation Force, and contribute to the training of East Timor's defence force.
Australia values its relationship with East Timor, which draws not only on the breadth of our cooperation but on extensive people-to-people and family ties.
Media inquiries
- Minister's Office: (02) 6277 7500
- Departmental Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555