Vietnam, Timor-Leste agree to deepen bilateral ties
Vietnam will continue to actively support Timor-Leste in effectively participating in and actively contributing to the ASEAN Community, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung affirmed on September 16.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung (right) meets with Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas on September 16, 2025. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) 🧔– Vietnam will continue to actively support Timor-Leste in effectively participating in and actively contributing to the ASEAN Community, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung affirmed on September 16.
During his talks with Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas in Hanoi, Trung noted that his country is ready to share experience and best practices, enhance capacity-building, and promote Timor-Leste’s participation in ASEAN programmes on narrowing the development gap.
He also called on Timor-Leste to work proactively with ASEAN in implementing key plans of the bloc, particularly the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
The two officials agreed to work closely to implement areas of bilateral cooperation, aiming to soon elevate the relationship to a new height. They consented to step up delegation exchanges at all levels, foster party-to-party cooperation, effectively implement the Framework Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, and convene the first session of the Joint Committee at the foreign ministerial level at an early date. Both sides also pledged to sign an agreement on visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports to facilitate people-to-people exchanges.
The ministers agreed to create favourable conditions for trade and market access, not only for rice, Vietnam’s key export, to Timor-Leste, but also for other products such as seafood and textiles. Trung urged Timor-Leste to further facilitate Vietnamese investment, particularly in sectors where Vietnam has strengths and Timor-Leste has demand, such as 5G telecommunications, digital solutions for government agencies, and oil and gas exploration.
The talks between acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas in Hanoi on September 16, 2025. (Photo: VNA)
Both sides also underlined the importance of cooperation in other key areas such as defence and security, education and training, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism, as well as tapping into new trends in digital transformation, innovation, and science and technology to support Timor-Leste’s economic diversification, away from oil and gas and toward sustainable development.
They reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination at multilateral and regional forums, and stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety, and security of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.
Amid conflicts, tensions, and complicated developments in many regions, ASEAN member states must continue working together to safeguard achievements, especially promoting unity to drive the bloc’s stronger growth in the future, Trung said.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's ASEAN membership (July 28, 1995 – 2025), the diplomat said Vietnam’s accession brought the bloc important strategic visions in economy, politics, culture, and social affairs.
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