RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/TLS/15  
 
19 January 2024  
(24-0424) Page: 1/3 
Working Party on the Accession of Timor -Leste  Original: English  
 
ACCESSION OF TIMOR -LESTE  
OPENING STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. MIGUEL MARQUES GONCALVES MANETELU, MINISTER OF  
TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS, HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF TIMOR -LESTE  
7th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Timor -Leste  
Thursday, 11 January 2024, 10:00 am  
1. I have the utmost hono ur to lead the delegation of Timor -Leste on behalf of the IXth 
Constitutional Government led by H.E. Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusm ão, and I  am privileged 
to represent Timor -Leste for WTO accession under the guidance of H.E. Vice Prime Minister and Chief 
Negotiator Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, at the 7th and final Working Party meeting.  
2. I would like to extend warm New Year's Greetings to a ll the distinguished participants present 
in this room and to those who are participating virtually.  
3. I am honoured to be here to conclude the work we started seven years ago. It has been an 
amazing journey of working tirelessly, adapting, cooperating and l earning from all of you to achieve 
today's remarkable result in a fast and very efficient pace. With you,  
• we have undertaken a full review of our economic and foreign trade regime and responded 
to over 300 questions from Members – which motivated and guid ed us on the specific areas 
and issues for addressing as part of the ongoing economic reform;  
• concluded 10 bilateral market access agreements with our distinguished partners : Australia, 
Cambodia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, European Union, New Zealand, Phil ippines, Thailand, 
and United States in a record time of 17 months, with two last agreements – with Indonesia 
and Thailand – signed only two months ago;  
• negotiated and accepted 31 far -reaching accession -specific commitments in the draft 
Working Party Repo rt, including novel accession commitments on trade facilitation, services 
domestic regulation and the ITA;  
• and, of course, we have been proactively consolidating and revising our legislation in a spirit 
of achieving full WTO consistency and focusing on bridging the regulatory gaps, as we aimed 
to build a modern framework which is essential to unleash the potential of our economy – 
and submitted over 330 pieces of legislation for Members' review, including newly -adopted 
legislation where the l ast set of required legislative pieces on commercial and industrial 
licensing, ratification of the HS Convention, industrial policy, trade remedies and IP w as 
adopted and provided to the Working Party just weeks ago.  
4. With all the great effort we have made  thus far, I am confident that the Working Party will be 
in a position to adopt our Accession Package – the documents which are a reflection of our country's 
strong commitment towards global economic integration and multilateralism – at today's meeting 
looking ahead towards the upcoming 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in February for formal action 
by all WTO Members.  
5. Let me thank all Members for their constructive and substantive engagement, strong and 
unanimous support and valuable guidance throughout the whole negotiation process.  JOB/ACC/TLS/15  
 
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  6. I would also like to thank the WTO Secretariat : Director -General H.E. Dr Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala 
who played an instrumental role in this process and who is a known strong supporter of LDCs and 
accessions ; our good friend Deputy Dire ctor-General Xiangchen Zhang ; Accessions Director 
Ms Maika Oshikawa, Working Party Secretary Ms Anna Varyanik and other colleagues in the 
Secretariat who worked hard to equip and navigate us through this complex journey in a record 
possible time.  
7. And of course, Mr Chairman, we pay a special tribute to you as leader of this process. It is 
your dedication, wisdom and vision that made the success and conclusion of this accession process 
possible. We are humble and proud to be part of this impressive c ollective effort.  
8. Let me conclude by saying that, for Timor -Leste, WTO accession and membership remains, 
first and foremost, a vehicle to accelerate the important reforms which are essential to promote 
economic growth and development, transform the countr y into a growing, healthy and well -educated 
middle -class nation and to further the goal of good governance, stability  and peace.  
9. This work will continue even more so in the post -accession period, aligned with the parallel 
ASEAN accession and membership tra ck, and we are grateful and count on your continued assistance 
and support.  
10. Along with the members of my Government and on behalf of the Chief Negotiator, we thank 
you and look forward to celebrating Timor -Leste's accession, together with that of Comoros,  at the 
upcoming 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi, and to joining the WTO family as an active 
and constructive member later this year.  
 
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  CLOSING STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. MIGUEL MARQUES GONCALVES MANETELU, MINISTER OF  
TRANSPORT A ND COMMUNICATIONS, HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF TIMOR -LESTE  
7th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Timor -Leste  
Thursday, 11 January 2024, 10:00 am  
1. I would like to thank you for all of your congratulatory words of support to Timor -Leste as we 
have now concluded our accession process to the Organization. We thank Members for recognizing 
our efforts and our readiness to end this chapter of our journey. The well -deserved accession of 
Timor -Leste to the WTO would mark Timor -Leste's trade integration h istory, setting the milestone 
for future trade agreements and encouraging for future challenging tasks that we will find in the way 
ahead.  
2. Timor -Leste is strongly committed to become a more active player in the international trade 
and a better and committe d actor in the globalized world, able to defend its values and interests 
towards achieving sustainable development.  
3. Timor -Leste's accession, by itself, has brought great benefits for the country, and we expect 
that further benefits will be seen during its membership in the Organization. For us, becoming a 
member is essential to unleash the potential of our economy in se veral sectors. Trade is an engine 
for development, and Timor -Leste has a huge potential that is yet to be explored. As a full member, 
we will be able to diversify our economy, become a part of the value chain of global economies, to 
improve the quality and  the wellbeing of our people.  
4. I would also like to once again express my profound gratitude and appreciation to Members, 
the WTO Secretariat and other partners for your endless assistance and unshaken support to 
Timor -Leste in achieving this milestone. I c ontinue to count on your full support as we soon embark 
as a newest member of the Organization.  
5. After following and observing all the statements and declarations by all the delegates here, it 
reminds me of all the processes of our struggle, that we are not  alone.  
6. Today, you have showcased your strong sense of solidarity and brotherhood, not only to us 
here, but to the people of Timor -Leste.  
7. For all of that, before I close this statement, on behalf of the President of the Republic, 
H.E. Dr José Ramos -Horta , the IXth Constitutional Government  led by  our Great Leader, Prime 
Minister of Timor -Leste, H.E. Mr Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, and also H.E. Mr Fra ncisco Kalbuadi  Lay, 
our Chief Negotiator, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you from the bottom of 
my heart.  
8. In closing, I would like to once again invite all of you to be present at MC13 in Abu Dhabi in 
this coming February, to witness a historic m oment of Timor -Leste's membership to the 
Organization, in which we are all actors in the process itself.  
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