Timor-Leste highly values Viet Nam's development model
VGP - Timor-Leste highly values Viet Nam's development model and wishes to cement and deepen the bilateral relations, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste Bendito dos Santos Freitas.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste Bendito dos Santos Freitas at the Government Office in Ha Noi, September 16, 2025 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception for Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste Bendito dos Santos Freitas in Ha Noi on September 16.
Pham welcomed Freitas on his first official visit to Viet Nam ahead of Timor-Leste's ASEAN admission, saying the visit would help strengthen bilateral cooperation across sectors and elevate the bilateral relations to a new level in a more effective and practical, and closer manner.
The Prime Minister also highly spoke of Timor-Leste's upcoming accession as the 11th ASEAN member, regarding this as a historic milestone, reflecting its status, prestige, and continuous efforts.
Pham expressed his hope for breakthrough growth in bilateral trade and investment growth in the time to come, calling on the two sides to boost negotiations on agreements covering trade, investment protection, labor, and visa exemptions for ordinary passport holders, and strengthen cooperation in rice production, oil and gas, and digital services.
He also called upon the two countries to consider stepping up cooperation in other fields like telecommunications, defense and security, education and training, clean energy, and high technology.
Viet Nam and Timor-Leste should effectively leverage emerging trends such as green economy, digital economy, clean energy, innovation, and artificial intelligence, while promoting people-to-people exchanges through tourism development and cultural interactions, he noted.
For his part, Freitas expressed his admiration for Viet Nam and its people for remarkable achievements in socio-economic development over the past eight decades.
He highlighted that Timor-Leste always bears in mind that Viet Nam was the first country to recognize its independence in 1975, highly values Viet Nam's development model, and seeks to continuously strengthen, elevate, and deepen bilateral relations.
Freitas expressed his desire for continued cooperation with Viet Nam in economic transition and diversification through agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and food processing, towards sustainable development.
The two sides agreed to continue coordinatio and mutual support at multilateral forums.
Pham emphasized that Viet Nam will continue assisting Timor-Leste in effectively participating in ASEAN's activities and keeping pace with the bloc's development. He expressed his belief that Timor-Leste's accession will open a new chapter for ASEAN, serving as a motivation for stronger and more united development within the group.
He also took the occasion to urge Timor-Leste, as a member state of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) and a soon-to-be full ASEAN member, to continue supporting ASEAN's common stance on the East Sea and jointly strive for an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in line with international laws, especially the 1982 UNCLOS, thereby contributing to making the East Sea a sea of peace, stability, cooperation, and development./.
