East Timor today opened its first embassy since the territory gained independence in Portugal, its former colonial ruler.
Portugal's President Mr Jorge Sampaio granted diplomatic credentials to Mr Pascoela Barreto at a ceremony at the presidential palace in Lisbon.
Wearing traditional Timorese maroon and yellow clothes, East Timor's first ambassador said she would dedicate special attention to the needs of young people from East Timor living in Portugal.
There are some 2,000 East Timorese citizens living in Portugal, many are students who have received grants from Lisbon to study at Portuguese universities.
Mr Barreto (54) who has lived in Portugal since 1970, represented the Timorese National Resistance Council in Lisbon between 1999 and 2001.
East Timor is expected to open its second embassy in Indonesia in October.
In a UN-initiated ballot in August 1999, East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence.
AFP