Vietnam, Timor Leste Eye Stronger Cooperation
	Vietnam Pledges to Help Timor-Leste Soon Become ASEAN Member

Timor Leste expects to get Vietnamese assistance in areas where Vietnam has strengths, such as agriculture, food security, infrastructure development, education - training, human resource development, health care, and poverty reduction, VOV reported.

President José Ramos-Horta of Timor Leste made the proposal during his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on August 2.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and visiting Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta during their meeting in Hanoi on August 2. Phôt: VGP

He also proposed that Vietnam increase its investments into Timor Leste, while affirming that the government of Timor-Leste is committed to creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to operate efficiently in the country.

The President singled out Vietnam as a success story in healing the wound of war and spurring economic development. He thanked Vietnam for supporting Timor Leste in national construction, as well as in its ongoing bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Chinh for his part welcomed José Ramos-Horta’s ongoing visit that marks the journey of more than 20 years of diplomacy between Vietnam and Timor Leste, contributing to strengthening political trust and creating new momentum for bilateral relations in the coming time.

He congratulated Timor Leste on the achievements it has recorded in national development over the years as well as its ongoing preparations to join ASEAN. He and expressed his belief that Timor-Leste would soon realize its national strategic development plan for 2011-2030 and integrate further into the world.

Chinh proposed that the two sides soon extend or sign a new Memorandum of Understanding on rice trading, helping to ensure national food security. He encouraged Timor-Leste to increase the import of Vietnamese goods suitable to its needs and tastes such as textiles, footwear, beverages, dairy products, processed foods, and agricultural and aquatic products.

The PM expected that Timor-Leste would soon completely resolve businesses difficulties and create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to expand operations, especially in the fields of telecommunications, digital transformation and oil and gas exploration and exploitation.

Both host and guest agreed to ramp up cooperation in other important fields, such as security, defense, information and communication, education and training; effectively take advantage of growing trends such as green economy, clean energy, and innovation; and promote people-to-people exchanges through tourism development and cultural exchanges.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides agreed to continue to coordinate and support each other at multilateral organizations.

Chinh voiced Vietnam’s support for Timor-Leste to soon become a full member of ASEAN.

José Ramos-Horta affirmed that Timor-Leste is ready to support Vietnam’s candidacy for all multilateral, regional and international mechanisms and organizations.

The two sides pledged to further back ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Sea, as well as efforts to maintain peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the regional waters.

They stressed the need to resolve maritime disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); seriously and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and facilitate negotiations on the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC), contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development in the region.

José Ramos-Horta respectfully invited Chinh to visit Timor Leste, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man (R) and President of Timor Leste Jose Ramos-Horta. Photo: VNA

The Timor-Leste President left Hanoi on August 3 afternoon, wrapping up his 4-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President To Lam.

During his stay, the leader paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and laid wreaths at the monument to war heroes and martyrs on Bac Son street in Hanoi.

He attended a red-carpet welcome ceremony and held talks with President To Lam. Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement on bilateral visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders. They visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum and attended a honour banquet.

The Timor-Leste President had meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

President To Lam and Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta visit the Ho Chi Minh Museum. Photo: TUAN HUY

As part of his visit, President Ramos-Horta engaged in an exchange programme with students of the Hanoi-based Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), made a field trip to the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in the northern province of Bac Ninh, and had working sessions with representatives of the Thai Nguyen Uninversity and the Military-run telecom group Viettel.

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