TIMOR-LESTE'S NEW AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Ambassador Constâncio Pinto

His Excellency Ambassador Constâncio Pinto, presents , to President Barack Obama the letter of Credence accredited him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the United States of America. The ceremony was held at the White House today, Wednesday, November 4th, 2009.

Ambassador Pinto replaces Ambassador José Luis Guterres and is the first Ambassador of Timor-Leste to the United States of America to reside in Washington.

Prior to this position, Ambassador Pinto served as the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Timorese Resistance Movement in the Clandestine Movement (1990-1991); in 1992 soon after the Santa Cruz Massacre he escaped from TL to Portugal and in 1994 was appointed as representative of Timorese Resistance Movement to North America. In 2002 he became Minister-Counselor/Charge d'Affairs of the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Washington, D.C. a position that he held for five years. As Charge d'Affairs, Ambassador Pinto was responsible for setting-up the Embassy of Timor-Leste to the United States of America and performed the day-to-day affairs of the Embassy. in June 2008 Ambassador Pinto returned to Timor-Leste to become Director General or External Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste and the United States of America have been enjoying cordial diplomatic relations since 2002. The United States is one of the countries established diplomatic missions in Timor-Leste on May 20th, 2002, the day Timor-Leste restored its independence . The United States is, however, one of the largest Timor-Leste's development partners.

Ambassador Pinto did his undergraduate studies in Economic Development , Brown University, Rhode Island, and Masters in International Relations, Columbia University, New York. He co-author the book entitled East Timor Unfinished Struggle: inside East Timorese Resistance