DILI, 03 July 2026 (TATOLI) – President of the Republic and Nobel Peace Laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta, bestowed the Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste on the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace, in Dili, today.
The Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste is the nation’s highest honour, bestowed on the Prime Minister of Singapore in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking during the investiture ceremony, Ramos-Horta said the award reflected Singapore’s longstanding commitment to Timor-Leste’s nation-building, regional integration and socio-economic development.
“This award recognizes his strong commitment to strengthening friendship and cooperation between Singapore and Timor-Leste. Under his leadership, bilateral relations have advanced significantly, particularly in institutional development, human resources capacity, and Timor-Leste’s regional integration,” Ramos-Horta said during the investiture ceremony.
The President said Prime Minister Wong’s first official visit to Timor-Leste marked a new milestone in relations between the two countries, which are now fellow members of ASEAN.
“The first official visit of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and your delegation symbolizes the enduring friendship between our two nations. Our discussions were warm, constructive, forward-looking, and focused on deepening the ties between our two countries,” he said.
Ramos-Horta stressed that Singapore had been a steadfast partner in Timor-Leste’s nation-building journey, noting that it was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the country following its independence in 2002 and had contributed military personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping mission after the 1999 referendum.
Ramos-Horta also acknowledged Singapore’s extensive contribution to Timor-Leste’s human resource development through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, which has trained more than 1,100 Timorese officials since 2002.
The President noted that cooperation had expanded under the STARS package introduced in 2022 and the E-STARS package, launched in July 2025 and continuing through 2028, to support Timor-Leste’s ASEAN integration.
Ramos-Horta said healthcare cooperation remained another important pillar of bilateral relations, noting that Singapore continues to receive Timorese patients for specialist treatment under a medical referral agreement with Parkway Hospital that has been renewed annually since 2019.
The President also highlighted Singapore’s role as Timor-Leste’s largest foreign investor, pointing to major investments and growing economic cooperation between the two countries.
“Singapore is Timor-Leste’s largest investor, with several flagship projects including an updated air service agreement in 2023, and major investments such as Heineken and A-Smart Holdings’ Timor-Leste Marina Square project.”
He further praised Singapore’s humanitarian assistance following the devastating floods that struck Timor-Leste in April 2021.
Speaking after the conferment, Wong expressed gratitude for the honour, calling it a gesture of deep friendship between the two nations.
“I would like to express my deepest appreciation for the Order of Timor-Leste (Grand Collar). This is a great honour which I accept with humility and profound gratitude,” he said. “I receive this honour not as an individual, but on behalf of Singapore and the many Singaporeans who have contributed to the friendship between our two countries,” he said.
He added that the recognition belonged to those who had supported Timor-Leste’s development over the years through training, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building efforts.
“We are very grateful to the Timorese people who have welcomed Singaporeans with friendship, generosity and kindness,” said Prime Minister.
TATOLI
