DILI, 20 April 2026 (TATOLI) — Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, met with Singapore’s newly appointed Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Her Excellency Teo Lay Cheng, at Singapore’s Changi International Airport during a transit stop en route to Bangkok, Thailand.
The Minister and his delegation are travelling to Bangkok to attend the 82nd Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), scheduled from 20 to 25 April 2026.
During the brief meeting, Minister Freitas congratulated Ambassador Teo on her appointment, wishing her success in her diplomatic mission to Timor-Leste.
He expressed confidence that her tenure would further strengthen bilateral cooperation and deepen relations between the two countries and their peoples.
The Minister also acknowledged the existing strong partnership between Timor-Leste and Singapore, noting the importance of building on current cooperation to achieve more substantial outcomes in the future. He highlighted that Timor-Leste should take full advantage of Singapore’s upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027, as part of its own preparation for assuming the ASEAN Presidency in 2029.
For her part, Ambassador Teo Lay Cheng—who previously served as Singapore’s Ambassador to Cambodia—expressed her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Timor-Leste during her tenure. She said she looks forward to enhancing cooperation not only at the governmental level but also in fostering closer people-to-people and cultural relations between both nations.
On Monday, Ambassador Teo Lay Cheng met with the Director-General for Consular and Protocol Affairs, Josefina Carla Pompeia Tilman, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation ahead of presenting her credentials to President José Ramos-Horta on 21 April 2026.
The purpose of the meeting was for the Ambassador-designate to formally hand over a copy of her Letter of Credence to DGACP and to receive a briefing on the credential presentation process and procedures.
The briefing was delivered via video presentation, in accordance with standard protocol for newly appointed Ambassadors prior to presenting its credentials to the Head of State.
Furthermore, the Director-General expressed appreciation to the Government of Singapore for its continued support for Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN and reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s readiness to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Timor-Leste and Singapore.
Journalist: Camilo de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
