DILI, 08 April 2025 (TATOLI) – Indian Ambassador to Timor-Leste Madan Kumar Ghildiyal presented his credentials to Timor-Leste’s President, Jose Ramos Horta, on Tuesday (08/04) at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace in Dili.
President Horta welcomed Ambassador Ghildiyal as India’s representative to Timor-Leste: “The Dili-Delhi connection is vital for our nation’s development and regional integration.”
Horta is confident that under Ambassador Ghildiyal’s leadership, the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Dili and Delhi will reach new heights, benefiting both the Indian and Timorese people.
Ambassador Ghildiyal is a career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Services in 1990. Prior to his appointment to Timor-Leste, he served as Consul (Political, Commerce and Community Affairs) at the Consulate General of India in Atlanta. His previous diplomatic assignments include Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs handled Administration and Pension matters, First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Jakarta handled Information Wing and Political Affairs and Consul at the Consulate General of India in Jeddah managed commercial matters.
Timor-Leste and India have maintained robust bilateral relations since establishing diplomatic ties on January 24, 2003, collaborating across defense, education, health, agriculture, and cultural sectors. The relationship strengthened significantly in 2024, marked by President Ramos-Horta’s participation in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in January, where the President met with Prime Minister Modi to discuss cooperation in petroleum, gas, digitalization, and educational exchanges. This diplomatic momentum continued with the historic first state visit by India’s President to Timor-Leste in August 2024, followed by both nations establishing permanent diplomatic missions—Timor-Leste opening its embassy in New Delhi in October 2024 and India establishing its embassy in Dili on September 2024—demonstrating their mutual commitment to deepening bilateral relations and supporting Timor-Leste’s engagement with ASEAN.
Timor-Leste looks forward to continued robust cooperation with the Republic of India under Ambassador Ghildiyal’s leadership.
Horta is confident that the appointment of Ambassador Ghildiyal would further elevate and strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, making the Dili-Delhi connection even stronger.
On March 4, the Ministry of External Affairs of India announced Shri Madan Kumar Ghildiyal as the new Ambassador of India to Timor-Leste.
TATOLI
