Timor-Leste President begins State visit to Vietnam

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta arrived in Hanoi , beginning a State visit to Vietnam.

On the evening of July 31, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta arrived in Hanoi, beginning a State visit to Vietnam from July 31 to August 3, at the invitation ofPresident of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam.

Welcoming the delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were Head of the Office of the President Le Khanh Hai, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste Ta Van Thong, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen, along with leaders and officials of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Office of the President, the State Protocol Department, the Southeast Asia - South Asia - South Pacific Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Accompanying the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta on his State visit to Vietnam were: Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Minister of Tourism and Environment Francisco Kalbuadi Lay; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas; Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry Marcos da Cruz; Minister of Social Communications Expedito Loro Dias Ximenes; Timor-Leste Ambassador to Vietnam João Pereira; Lieutenant General Falur Rate Laek, Commander-in-Chief of the Ministry of National Defense; Lieutenant General Cristovão Tito da Costa, Senior Policy Advisor on Security and Defense to the President; Director of the Bilateral Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Marcos dos Reis da Costa; Advisor on International Relations to the President Fun Ha Tchong.

Hanoi girls present flowers to welcome Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta on a state visit to Vietnam

In recent times, multifaceted cooperation between the two countries has had positive changes. In terms of trade, bilateral trade turnover is still limited, mainly exporting rice and textiles. In 2023, Vietnam's exports to Timor-Leste reached 15.49 million USD; imports from Timor-Leste reached 371 thousand USD. In the first 5 months of 2024, exports to Timor-Leste were 6.09 million USD, up 29.4% over the same period.

Regarding investment, Vietnam currently has a very successful and highly appreciated investment project of Viettel in Timor-Leste called Telemor (established on August 22, 2012) with an initial investment capital of 500,000 USD, gradually increasing to 15 million USD. The company has become one of the 3 largest telecommunications companies in Timor-Leste, with a solid position in this market.

Besides economic cooperation, the visit is also an opportunity for the two countries to review negotiation activities and exchange experiences in specific areas such as education, agriculture and fisheries.

The friendship between Vietnam and Timor-Leste was formed early when the Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste (FRETILIN) declared independence (September 1975) and Vietnam was one of the first countries to recognize Timor-Leste. Although geographically distant, Vietnam and Timor-Leste have always maintained a close relationship, supporting each other in the international arena, especially in the struggle for national liberation. Since the establishment of bilateral relations, Timor-Leste has hosted three official visits to Vietnam by President Kayrala Xanana Gusmao (August 2005), President José Ramos-Horta (October 2010) and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao (September 2013).

This visit by President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta is the fourth high-level visit to Vietnam and is an opportunity for the two sides to continue discussing measures to promote cooperation, deepen bilateral relations, thereby tightening the traditional friendship that has been nurtured over the past time.

Source: https://dangcongsan.vn/thoi-su/tong-thong-timor-leste-bat-dau-chuyen-tham-cap-nha-nuoc-toi-viet-nam-673917.html