Timor-Leste President begins State visit to Vietnam

President Jose Ramos-Horta's visit will be his fourth high-level visit to Vietnam and will provide an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on measures to promote cooperation and deepen bilateral relations.

Le Khanh Hai, Head of the Office of the President of Vietnam, welcomes President Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste at Noi Bai International Airport. (Photo: VNA)

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

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

Accompanying President Jose Ramos-Horta were: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Coordination, Minister for 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; Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Vietnam João Pereira; Lieutenant General Falur Rate Laek, Commander-in-Chief of the Ministry of Defence; Lieutenant General Cristovão Tito da Costa, Senior Policy Advisor on Security and Defence to the President; Director of Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Marcos dos Reis da Costa; and Advisor on International Relations to the President Fun Ha Tchong.

President Jose Ramos-Horta was born on December 26, 1949, in Leorema, Bazarete. He graduated in Public International Law from the Hague Institute of International Law and in International Human Rights Law from the International Human Rights Institute, Strasbourg; he also holds a Master's degree in Peace Studies from the University of Antioch, Ohio, USA. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996.

From 1975 to 1999, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Information and spokesperson for the Resistance Movement (a position in the first government of Timor-Leste, formed in December 1975 after declaring independence).

He served as a member of the government and the United Nations Transitional Management Body in East Timor from 2000 to 2002; Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste from 2002 to 2006; Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Timor-Leste from 2006 to 2007; and President of Timor-Leste from 2007 to 2012. From 2012 to the present, he has been a member of the State Council, the Presidential Advisory Board of Timor-Leste; and a member of the State Council on Maritime Boundary Delimitation of Timor-Leste. He has been President of Timor-Leste from 2022 to the present.

Since establishing bilateral relations, Timor Leste has hosted three official visits by high-ranking leaders to Vietnam: President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao (August 2005); President Jose Ramos-Horta (2010); and Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao (September 2013).

President Jose Ramos-Horta's visit will be his fourth high-level visit to Vietnam and an opportunity for both sides to continue exchanging views on measures to promote cooperation, deepen bilateral relations, and thereby strengthen the traditional friendship that has been cultivated over time.

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