Timor Leste Government officials are in the capital to study disaster management in the East Nusa Tenggara provincial city of Kupang, according to the countrys Home Affairs Ministry Director for National Protection, Candido Pareira Gusmao.

"Although we belong to a different country, we come here as brothers to conduct studies on various topics related to disaster management and mitigation," Gusmao remarked, at a meeting with Kupang city administration officials here on Wednesday.

He stated that in their geography, Timor-Leste and part of Indonesias East Nusa Tenggara share the same land, namely the island of Timor, and hoped for cooperation and mutual help between both nations.

According to him, the decision to study disaster management in neighbouring Kupang was due to the common history and culture that both nations share.

The Government of Timor-Leste views such harmonic cooperation as an expression of friendship with each other, and share with each other scientific knowledge in a number of fields, particularly in terms of disaster management and mitigation.

"Who would have thought at one time, that when a country at the eastern end of Timor island, called Timor-Leste, suffers a disaster, it can be handled independently by the country with the help of our brothers from East Nusa Tenggara, and Kupang city, in particular," he said.

Source: ANTARA