DILI, 22 august 2024 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines agreed to sign the exemption agreement for holders of Service and Diplomatic Passports between the two countries.
This agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, after a bilateral meeting at the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs office.
Minister Freitas affirmed that Timor-Leste reached another positive step in Diplomacy services by having managed to sign the agreement with the Government of the Philippines on Visa Exemption for holders of Service and Diplomatic Passports between the two countries. The aforementioned agreement will be sent to the National Parliament of both countries for ratification and thus, from now on, it could be implemented.
Freitas said the Government of Timor-Leste is also making efforts to approach the ASEAN Member States on the Visa Exemption Agreement for Ordinary Passports aimed at facilitating citizens of the same Member States in exchange and reciprocal visits.
In the meantime, the Government of Timor-Leste has already signed a Visa Exemption Agreement for Service and Diplomatic Passports with other ASEAN Member States, namely Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Therefore, this act was a crucial step in fulfilling Timor-Leste’s accession roadmap to the ASEAN Regional Organization.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
