Today marks the first anniversary of the international recognition of East Timor's independence and of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and East Timor. Remarkable progress has been made by the new nation over these twelve months. The essential work of nation building and other development tasks are well under way and I congratulate the government and people of East Timor for these significant achievements to date.
Much remains to be done and Australia will continue to assist East Timor to address its development challenges. We remain at the forefront of international support for East Timor through our participation in the UN mission and as a major development assistance partner. The agreement in April for the entry into force of the Timor Sea Treaty will facilitate the development of oil and gas resources from which the economies of both countries will benefit. I was also pleased in October last year to announce that Australia will grant tariff and quota-free access for East Timorese goods to the Australian market from July this year.
On behalf of the Australian government and people I would like to again congratulate East Timor on this milestone and underline my wish to continue to work closely with the East Timor leadership to further strengthen the links between our two countries.