Timor-Leste, Angola to establish joint commission to advance bilateral cooperation
DILI, 19 August 2026 (TATOLI) — Timor-Leste and Angola, on Tuesday agreed to establish a joint bilateral commission to identify priority areas of cooperation and develop a framework for collaboration in the short, medium and long term.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas, and Angola’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, on the sidelines of the 31st Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), being held in Dili until August 19.
Both sides discussed and welcomed the establishment of a Joint Bilateral Commission to identify priority areas and translate shared commitments into concrete cooperation.
Minister Freitas said the two countries shared strong historical and solidarity ties, particularly stemming from Angola’s support for Timor-Leste’s struggle to restore its independence.
“Our relationship with Angola is a relationship with a brother country, with strong historical and longstanding ties, which supported us in our prolonged struggle for liberation,” Freitas said.
He described Mendonça’s presence in Timor-Leste as significant and said that, despite the geographical distance between the two countries, their relations were becoming increasingly close.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the two sides to discuss potential areas of future cooperation and explore ways to further strengthen and consolidate bilateral relations and strategic cooperation.
Mendonça said Angola wanted to work with Timor-Leste to identify priority sectors before making specific commitments.
“We have not defined concrete areas in principle. We need to conduct assessment visits to determine what the actual areas of need are. For that, we need to establish a joint commission that will allow us to identify the areas needed in the short, medium and long term,” she said.
Mendonça also highlighted the longstanding friendship and solidarity between Angola and Timor-Leste.
She called on Timor-Leste to support the candidacy of Angolan Josefa Sacko for director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“Timor-Leste is part of ASEAN and can also influence the other member states. We are here and count on the support of our Timorese brothers and sisters,” she said.
The establishment of the joint commission is expected to provide a mechanism for both countries to identify practical areas of cooperation and translate their longstanding political ties into concrete bilateral initiatives.
TATOLI
