A, in Tavira, will be the stage of the presentation of the book “All-terrain diplomacy Jakarta 1999, the process of Timor-Leste”by Ana Gomes and Barbara Reis. The event will take place on February 8, at 5:00 pm, with the work recently published by the Publisher Tinta-da-China.
This book arises in the context of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the recognition of Timor-Leste’s independence by Indonesia. It is a long conversation with Barbara Reis, where Ana Gomes recalls the intense year 1999, lived as a diplomat in Jakarta.
Ana Gomes, with 20 years of diplomatic career, was sent to Jakarta in 1999 with the mission of establishing a section of interests, which would become the embryo of the future Portuguese embassy. This year, described as “crazy and decisive”, he profoundly marked the diplomat, reflecting the urgency and intensity of historical changes. “Next, any other post would be an anticlimax,” confesses Ana Gomes, who would suspend her career after this experience.
“In this book – which is a synthesis of 34 hours of conversation and 17 rounds of interviews conducted by Barbara Reis between 2022 and 2023 – Ana Gomes leaves history to historians and tells only what she lived, showing that diplomacy is a profession That has to serve a purpose: especially in a year, which required all-terrain diplomacy, ”says the synopsis of the work.
The preface to the book is signed by Ian Martin, who states: “The struggle of the Timorese for self -determination, during the days when it seemed a desperate cause and throughout the year 1999, had a very special ability to mobilize the commitment of some Notable individuals within non -governmental organizations, civil society, UN and governments and parliaments – in particular in Portugal. No one can read Ana’s account and fail to recognize that she was one of those people. ”
The presentation promises to be a moment of reflection on recent history and the crucial role of Portuguese diplomacy in the process of self-determination of Timor-Leste.
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