Brian Jeffrey
President José Ramos-Horta of Timor Leste will embark on a state visit to Vietnam from July 31 to August 3, following an invitation from President To Lam, as announced by the Foreign Ministry.
Vietnam and Timor Leste have maintained a longstanding friendship, with Vietnam being one of the earliest supporters of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) in September 1975. Recent years have witnessed significant progress in the relations between the two nations.
The newly appointed Ambassador of Timor Leste, João Pereira, recently presented his credentials to President To Lam on June 18, where the commitment to bolster cooperation between Vietnam and Timor Leste was reiterated.
President To Lam emphasized the vast potential for growth in various sectors such as agriculture, telecommunications, education, and oil and gas within the bilateral relationship.
Both leaders expressed their eagerness to uphold existing agreements and formulate new ones, urging investors from both countries to engage in collaborative projects and ventures.
Ambassador João Pereira emphasized the positive outcomes reaped by Timor Leste from importing Vietnamese rice and the information technology initiatives led by Viettel, which have extended mobile network coverage to 90% of the Timor Leste population.
Despite a decline in trade volume between the two countries due to the impact of COVID-19, amounting to 15.9 million USD in 2023 (with exports at 15.5 million USD and imports at 371.7 thousand USD), Viettel continues to drive investment projects in Timor Leste.
With investments in telecommunications services under the brand Telemor, Viettel’s contributions have significantly modernized Timor Leste’s telecommunications industry over the past decade, fostering the country’s overall development.
Furthermore, both nations exhibit potential for collaboration in diverse fields like agriculture, oil and gas, fisheries, infrastructure development, and the exchange of various products and services, along with educational and cultural exchanges.
The mutual commitment to reinforce cooperation and joint efforts at regional and international platforms is evident. Vietnam stands poised to aid Timor Leste in its preparations for official ASEAN membership, aligning with other ASEAN members and the ASEAN Secretariat.
