DILI, 29 April 2026 (TATOLI) — Timor-Leste’s Foreign Minister, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, held talks with his Slovak counterpart, Juraj Blanár, as both sides moved to strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in key sectors.
He highlighted that Timor-Leste shares and upholds the democratic values that underpin the European Union, including those of Slovakia, and reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s commitment to advancing a strong and principled partnership with Europe.
Minister Juraj Blanár congratulated Timor-Leste on its accession to ASEAN as the 11th member state and commended the country’s remarkable history of resilience, courage, and moral authority.
He recalled that 35 Slovak soldiers, including medical personnel, served in Timor-Leste during its struggle for independence, reflecting the longstanding spirit of solidarity, mutual respect, and shared values between the two nations and their peoples.
Both Ministers exchanged views on expanding and deepening cooperation in key strategic sectors, including education and human capital development, automotive industry collaboration, cybersecurity, and trade and investment. The discussion also emphasized the importance of establishing a structured bilateral political dialogue mechanism to further advance cooperation and identify concrete areas for partnership.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, promoting high-level exchanges, and encouraging future visits between the Heads of State and Government of both countries, with the shared objective of translating diplomatic relations into tangible benefits for their peoples.
TATOLI
