DILI, 12 december 2022 (TATOLI) – The Government of Singapore launched a Capacity Building Program to train more than 300 Timorese officials to prepare Timor-Leste for ASEAN membership.
The 300 officials would be trained in two priority areas, including training in ASEAN knowledge and skills as well as educational capacity building. They will learn negotiation and report-writing skills. They will also be trained to prepare Timor-Leste’s education system to join the ASEAN community.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to supporting Timor-Leste in the capacity-building program during a meeting with the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, in Singapore last week.
“The Singapore government will launch a special technical assistance program called Singapore-Timor-Leste Readiness Support (STARS),” said Lee quoted in The Strait Times.
Prime Minister Lee also reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to collaborate with other ASEAN member states on an “objective criteria-based” roadmap for Timor-Leste’s membership of the Southeast Asian regional bloc, Channel NewsAsia reported.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, Adaljiza Magno, also held a bilateral meeting with her Singapore Counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, on the sideline of the State Visit of the Head of State.
Minister Magno expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation for Singapore’s quick response and decision to establish STARS: “This program is designed to support Timor-Leste’s capacity-building efforts in education to develop the nation’s human resources for its accession to ASEAN.”
During the state visit, both Singapore and Timor-Leste exchanged ideas on Timor-Leste’s preparation to become a full member of ASEAN.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
