DILI, 05 july 2022 (TATOLI) – Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, Abrão Saldanha, today held a meeting with the Indonesian Ambassador to Timor-Leste Okto Dorinus Manik to strengthen and develop various types of sport in the country.
“During the meeting, we talked about renewing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SoSYS and Indonesia,” Manik told reporters after having a meeting with SoSYS in Dili, today.
He said: “SoSYS and Indonesian Embassy signed the MoU in 2016 and it has now expired. I think we need to renew our cooperation in sports by signing another MoU.”
In the previous MoU, both parties had committed to developing Timor-Leste’s sports: “But due to the Covid-19, many sports activities had been halted for more than two years.”
He said, therefore, the new MoU will pave way for both parties to work together on developing a number of sports, especially martial arts.
“We talk about having the graduation of the members of the PSHT martial arts here in Timor-Leste. If we realize the graduation of the PSHT’s members in the country then the new members don’t need to go to Indonesia for the graduation,” said Manik.
He also said that both parties will organize sports competitions in the border zone, which will promote peace between the communities of both countries living in the border zone.
At the same place, Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, Abrão Saldanha said that cooperation with Indonesia is crucial to help Timor-Leste develop its Martial Arts to become a national sports competition.
“Indonesia will help us to develop our martial arts to become a national sports competition,” he said.
Saldanha stressed that in the near future, SoSYS will cooperate with the Indonesian authorities and the top leaders, and the graduate council of PSHT to realize the graduation of the PSHT’s members in Timor-Leste: “Around 9.000 members of PSHT will participate in the graduation.”
“So, PSHT’s members don’t need to commit the illegal border crossing to attend the graduation in West Timor,” he concluded.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
