Press Conference, Timor-Leste

SUBJECTS: Australia-Timor‑Leste Relationship; Defence Cooperation Framework. ‘

XANANA GUSMAO, PRIME MINISTER OF TIMOR-LESTE: As acting defence minister, I will ask the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Defence Minister of Australia to say some words.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Prime Minister. It is an honour to be here today again in Timor-Leste. It's my second visit this year and I look forward to coming back again frequently. But today we have had the great honour of signing a Defence Cooperation Framework between Australia and Timor‑Leste. Australia is a major security partner for Timor‑Leste and we have a deep history of defence cooperation. The Defence Cooperation Framework will provide the basis upon which we move forward in terms of defence coordination, in terms of training and education, and most significantly in terms of defence exercises. And we are very much looking forward to proceeding with those exercises going forward. In the past, Exercise Hari'i Hamutuk, which has been the major defence exercise that we've engaged in together, has seen significant numbers of Australian personnel and personnel from Timor-Leste's defence force working together. And so we're very excited about what this Defence Cooperation Framework means and what this will now do in terms of facilitating a much greater degree of defence engagement between our two countries. And clearly, in the midst of all that engagement between Australia and Timor‑Leste, the security dimension of our relationship is profound and this will very much support that. But today we're also announcing a significant package of support coming from the partnership that was signed between our respective prime ministers in January of this year. Today we're announcing $62 million over the next five years which will support a significant uplift in cyber capabilities in Timor‑Leste, it will provide significant support to the Timor‑Leste Police, in particular in relation to maritime capability. There are three new additional police vessels which will come with this. But also in terms of digital forensics, which will help support the police in terms of their engagement in cybercrime. We're also providing support in this contribution to an uplift in regards to disaster preparedness. The partnership that was signed by our two prime ministers earlier this year was really a landmark in respect of the relationship between Australia and Timor-Leste, and we're very pleased to be able to make this set of announcements today in support of the partnership that we announced at the beginning of this year, and which really gives a very significant substance. Finally, let me say that Timor-Leste is a profoundly important country for Australia. We are neighbours. Geography and our history means that we also have a shared destiny and a shared future. It is a country which is held with the deepest affection right across Australia. Might I say, Prime Minister, that affection is very much held for you personally. And so it's been an enormous honour for me to be here today to be able to sign the Defence Cooperation Framework with the acting Defence Minister, the Prime Minister, and this is a really significant step in taking the relationship between Timor-Leste and Australia to the next level.

JOURNALIST: How will both governments ensure the closer defence cooperation [inaudible] sovereignty and independence? 

MARLES: Working together in terms of defence cooperation, we see as being an act of sovereignty. We are exercising our sovereign choice from the perspective of Australia to work as closely as we can with Timor‑Leste. In a very challenging world where the rules-based order is under pressure, where we're seeing new developments in relation to cyber capability, artificial intelligence. All of these are creating a much more complicated world. Partnerships with friends matter more today than they have. This is a time to double down on friendship, to double down on family, and that's certainly how we regard our relationship with Timor‑Leste. For us, that's the most important way in which we can exercise our sovereignty. This is very much a framework which respects the arrangement between two equal partners, and that's very much how we see this. It will be Australia supporting Timor‑Leste, but Timor‑Leste supporting Australia. And in the very challenging world that we have today, that's a really important way in which we can move forward.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I ask one question for the Timor side? What are the main priorities in Timor-Leste’s defence sector that need support from Australia? 

PRIME MINISTER GUSMAO: Training to get a new, a better capable F-FDTL (inaudible) but to try to help to get the people. As the Deputy Prime Minister said, disaster management and maritime security because of the illegal fishing. And of course, also in cyber security. We have to learn to (inaudible) act better because of the international organised crime and many, many, many years. Thank you very much. 

ENDS