DILI, 30 june 2022 (TATOLI)- The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs (MEAC) consolidates the progress of Timor-Leste preparation to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) to the Minister of Transportation and Communications.
Timor-Leste WTO, Coordinator, Sesar Dias Quintas, said the meeting was focused on three important points, namely consultation, consolidation, and sensibility.
“Today we are consolidating the process to relevant government regarding the process and preparation for WTO. Government agencies should be aware of the WTO teamwork that has been carried out so far, and the team will share reports with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to help ministries prioritize financial capacity through the MTC action plan, as it requires more coordination between ministries to focus on the TL accession to WTO,”
Timor-Leste has previously signed agreements with Australia and New Zealand in the field of aviation. Timor Leste has to deal with seven other countries consisting of the United States, the European Union, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Japan.
According to Quintas, Timor-Leste’s accession to the World Trade Investment (WTO) will be completed by the end of 2022 at the partner’s meeting while the graduation to the WTO will take place at the 2023 general council.
At the same place, the Head of the MTC Department, Fernando Carvalho Da Cruz said that the most important thing for MTC is to provide optimistic preparations to support TL to become a member of the WTO, therefore MTC is currently focusing on the transportation and communication sector.
“Preparation on air, water, and land transportation should be required, so that foreign investors can invest in our country, at the same time we also need to provide optical fiber to facilitate communication within and outside the country,” he said.
Timor-Leste’s accession to the WTO will help TL open up more job opportunities, and the community can get capacity-building programs and access to international markets for the country’s economic development.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B
