DILI, 24 january 2025 (TATOLI) – Timorese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas met the UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Catherine West, to discuss the establishment of the UK’s embassy in Dili.
Minister Freitas said that during the meeting, Minister West expressed the UK’s interest in opening its embassy in Timor-Leste to strengthen and expand cooperation between the two countries in various areas, including human resource management and capacity building.
“Minister West expressed the UK’s interest to open its embassy in Dili,” Freitas told reporters at the MoFAC’s office, in Dili, on thursday.
Freitas said that MoFAC will collaborate with the relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Justice and the Secretary of State for Territorial Property, to make space and premises available for the establishment of the UK embassy in the country.
On the same day, Minister West also met with Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão in Dili, where the two discussed enhancing cooperation in various fields.
During the meeting, the two touched on strengthening cooperation in climate change, economic development, and geopolitics.
The two also touched on Timor-Leste’s various preparations for the final moment of its accession to ASEAN, which the UK remains committed to supporting Timor-Leste’s efforts in striving for ASEAN full membership.
West pledged to support Timor-Leste’s economic development to help the country achieve its goal of becoming a prosperous country in the region.
She said that Timor-Leste is a country that matters so much to the UK: “We remain committed to supporting Timor-Leste to continue to developing as a stable and prosperous nation.”
Timor-Leste and the UK have long been great friends and UK has become home to the largest Timorese community in any other overseas diaspora.
On behalf of the Timorese people, Prime Minister Gusmão thanked Minister West for her visit, saying that the UK’s support for Timor-Leste is immense, as more than 30,000 Timorese migrant workers currently live and work in the UK, contributing around US$30 million in remittances every year to Timor-Leste.
Gusmão also thanked the UK for its continued support for Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN, which is expected to happen this year.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
