Marcelo invites Ramos-Horta to go to Portugal and participate in the Web Summit
The Portuguese head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, announced today that he had invited the President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, to go to Portugal this year and participate in the Web Summit and a business forum.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was received today by Ramos-Horta at the Presidential Palace, in Dili, and at the end of the meeting of the two heads of state, he made statements to the media.
“I reaffirmed the invitation to my friend José Ramos-Horta to go to Portugal later this year and, if possible, to participate in the Web Summit, in the digital summit, and with us for some time, even to hold a business forum on what he may be doing cooperation between the two sister countries in this area”, said the Portuguese President.
Before that, Ramos-Horta, who took office on Thursday night as President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, in turn, may have asked Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa “to think about the opportunities that will come with Timor’s future accession to the ASEAN [Associação de Nações do Sudeste Asiático]”.
“We would like to have Portuguese investors here in Timor, considering this large market of 70 million people, four trillion dollars. It would be a great opportunity for us, Timor, and also for 70 Portuguese people”, added Ramos-Horta.
Former Timorese President Xanana Gusmão also met Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Ramos-Horta today at the Presidential Palace. When the Portuguese head of state arrived, the three exchanged a few words in informal tones, surrounded by the media, before meeting.
Xanana Gusmão turned to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and said, amusedly: “I want to introduce the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste”.
“It is an honor and a pleasure. Look what a coincidence that we are here. The world is small, and the center of the world is called East Timor”, replied the Portuguese head of state, laughing.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa praised the tie of “commander” Xanana Gusmão and Ramos-Horta observed: “It’s all beautiful”.
Afterwards, the President of Timor-Leste commented that Xanana Gusmão “almost never wears a mask, and when he wears half the world and has never caught covid, then he says it’s because of tobacco, which kills the covid” .
“And it is, and it is, I can confirm that,” retorted Xanana. “Scientifically, clinically”, added Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the former guerrilla fighter added: “Scientifically, personally, bodily, physically, everything”.