Prime Ministers of Fiji and Solomon Islands to visit Timor-Leste for independence celebrations

DÍLI, 04 October 2026 (TATOLI) – Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale will visit Timor-Leste this month to attend celebrations marking the 51st anniversary of the country’s Proclamation of Independence on November 28, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão said.

Xanana announced the visits following a meeting with President José Ramos-Horta at the Presidential Palace in Dili, today.

He said the two leaders would join Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, who had earlier confirmed their attendance at the national celebrations.

The attendance of the four Pacific leaders is expected to strengthen diplomatic relations, deepen regional cooperation and reinforce shared commitments to peace and stability in the Pacific.

The celebrations will take place under the theme “51 Years of History – Consolidating Stability and Promoting Sustainable Development”, which the Council of Ministers approved on October 21.

Timor-Leste marks its Proclamation of Independence anniversary annually on November 28, commemorating the country’s unilateral declaration of independence from Portugal in 1975.

Journalist: Afonso do Rosário
Editor: Isaura Lemos de Deus
Translation: Filomeno Martins