DILI, 05 february 2025 (TATOLI) – President Donald Trump’s suspension of US foreign aid and his decision to shut down the operations of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has sparked criticism across many countries, but not in Timor-Leste.
Upon his arrival from Human Fraternity Summit in UAE, Timor-Leste’s President, Jose Ramos Horta told reporters that Trump’s decision to suspend US foreign aid and terminate the operations of USAID would not affect Timor-Leste.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order to temporarily suspend US-funded activities for 90 days in order to give his administration time to review the effectiveness of US foreign policy with the America First agenda.
Horta stressed that the move does not affect Timor-Leste, a lower middle-income country and the smallest economy in Southeast Asia.
“We have our own General State Budget earmarked for national development, including health, education, infrastructure, wages and salaries and so on,” said Horta.
The Head of State stressed that he was not bothered by the temporary halt in USAID operations, saying that Timor-Leste could turn to other partners for help.
“I think it’s also good to do our own evaluation to see which partners we can continue to work with,” said Horta.
In relation to the temporary suspension of USAID operations in Timor-Leste, Horta said that this might affect some local NGOs that get most or all of their funding from USAID: “But it won’t affect the government.”
Journalist: Hortencio Sanchez
Editor: Cancio Ximenes
Translator: Filomeno Martins
