Ambassador Rozali reaffirms Malaysia’s support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN Chairship 2029 preparations
DILI, 31 July 2026 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in regional integration, governance and institutional capacity as the country prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2029.
The commitment was underscored during the first official meeting between the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, and Malaysia’s Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Fairuz Rozali, held on Friday at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Dili.
The courtesy meeting reaffirmed the strong friendship and strategic partnership between Timor-Leste and Malaysia, highlighting the longstanding bilateral cooperation and shared commitment to strengthening relations between the two countries.
During the meeting, Minister Pereira welcomed Ambassador Fairuz Rozali and expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s continued support to Timor-Leste, particularly in the areas of regional integration, institutional development, and national progress.
The discussions focused on Timor-Leste’s preparations to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2029. Minister Agio Pereira emphasized the importance of benefiting from Malaysia’s extensive experience in hosting and coordinating high-level international events, including areas such as meeting organization, logistics, security arrangements, protocol management, strategic communications, and inter-ministerial coordination.
Ambassador Fairuz Rozali reaffirmed Malaysia’s willingness to support Timor-Leste through technical cooperation, capacity-building initiatives, and the sharing of best practices to assist the country’s preparations for its future role within ASEAN.
The meeting also addressed opportunities for further cooperation in key areas, including infrastructure development, cybersecurity, combating transnational crime, and legislative reforms aimed at strengthening public integrity, governance, and institutional capacity.
Ambassador Fairuz Rozali is the seventh Malaysian Ambassador to Timor-Leste since the establishment of the Malaysian Embassy in Dili in 2002. Both sides expressed confidence that the close and friendly partnership between Timor-Leste and Malaysia will continue to grow and deepen in the years ahead.
TATOLI
