DILI, 30 June 2026 (TATOLI) – Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, on Monday, held a bilateral meeting with Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, marking the first official visit by a Timorese Foreign Minister to the Republic of Korea since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2002.
The historic meeting represents a new milestone in the growing partnership between the two countries and reflects their shared commitment to deepening political dialogue and expanding practical cooperation.
The two Ministers reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations and exchanged views on advancing cooperation across a broad range of priority areas, including labour mobility, trade and investment, energy, green industry, education, human resources development, public safety, maritime security, the fight against transnational crime, and people-to-people exchanges.
Minister Bendito highlighted Timor-Leste’s youthful population as one of its greatest strategic assets and expressed the Government’s interest in learning from the Republic of Korea’s successful development experience, particularly in harnessing its demographic dividend.
Recognizing Timor-Leste’s accession as ASEAN’s 11th Member State in 2025, both Ministers discussed ways to strengthen Republic of Korea–ASEAN cooperation, explored opportunities for Timor-Leste to serve as a bridge for expanding Korea’s engagement with Southeast Asia, and explored opportunities for the Republic of Korea to support Timor-Leste’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2029.
The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments, reaffirming their shared commitment to peace, stability, multilateralism, and a rules-based international order.
The meeting concluded with both Ministers expressing confidence that the outcomes of the discussions would further elevate Timor-Leste–Republic of Korea relations into a more dynamic, forward-looking, and mutually beneficial partnership, delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries while contributing to regional prosperity, security, and sustainable development.
TATOLI
