DILI, 20 August 2024 (TATOLI)—The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, held a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, to discuss strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries, particularly in the areas of economic, political, and other related areas.
The meeting took place as part of Minister Bendito’s official visit to the Republic of the Philippines, one of the sequels to the Minister’s official visit to ASEAN member states, to prepare Timor-Leste for the process of joining ASEAN.
“The purpose of this visit is to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two states in terms of economic and political cooperation and also in other areas, namely the Political Consultation Mechanism established during the visit of Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão in 2013,” said Minister Freitas in a statement.
During the meeting, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, asked Timor-Leste to reactivate the aforementioned political cooperation mechanism so that it can consolidate partnership cooperation in the areas of economic, social, political, and others.
The two leaders also discussed key aspects of cooperation covering important sectors such as education, health, agriculture, technical and vocational training, defense and security, human resources training, and, specifically, the food processing sector
Minister Freitas added that another important segment that the Philippine government wants to cooperate with Timor-Leste is training in the area of science and technology: “We have also discussed the possibility of direct cooperation between the universities of the Philippines and Timor-Leste, with emphasis on the area of research and scientific investigation, teacher training and others.”
Freitas said that the Republic of the Philippines continues to express its full support for Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
