DILI, 26 january 2026 (TATOLI) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will make a two-day visit to Timor-Leste from 28 to 29 january, describing the trip as “a very important trip for a close neighbour”.
The prime minister is scheduled to address the National Parliament on wednesday, 28 january, in Dili, which he regards as a great honour, not just for him personally, but more importantly for Australia as well.
Albanese will also meet President of the Republic José Ramos-Horta and his Timorese counterpart, Xanana Gusmão, to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
He thanked Timor-Leste’s leaders for the invitation: “I thank Xanana Gusmão, my friend, and José Ramos-Horta as well for the invitation,” Albanese told Australian reporters on monday.
Albanese stressed the wider importance of regional relationships, saying “our relations with our neighbours have never been more important than they are today.” He added that ties with Timor-Leste “go back a long way.”
Recalling historical links between the two countries, Albanese said one of his mentors, Tom Uren, “was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war on Timor in 1941”.
He said that “the Timorese helped out so many Australian diggers during that moment of crisis during the Second World War”, and said he had heard “firsthand the stories of how grateful they were for the solidarity that was shown.”
It is recalled that Prime Minister Gusmão first met his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, on 5 march 2024, on the sidelines of the summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Australia’s dialogue partnership with ASEAN, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
TATOLI
