Vietnam Pledges to Help Timor-Leste Soon Become ASEAN Member

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno at the meeting. Photo: VNA

FM Son made the affirmation at a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno on February 4 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Jakarta, Indonesia, VietnamPlus reported.

The two sides agreed to promote the exchange of delegations at all levels, soon hold the first meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation at the ministerial level as agreed in the Framework Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation in April 2010, implement signed agreements, and accelerate negotiations and signing of new agreements in order to boost tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchange.

The Timor-Leste Minister spoke highly of Vietnam's important socio-economic development achievements and said that leaders of Timor-Leste are very pleased with the investment of Vietnam’s telecoms group Viettel in Timor-Leste, which contributes to the local development.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno at the meeting. Photo: Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

There is great potential for the two nations to expand cooperation in trade, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, she said.

She affirmed that she would work to promote cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, not only in the bilateral channels but also within ASEAN.

On this occasion, FM Son had brief meetings with his counterparts of Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Brunei to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Last year, ASEAN leaders issued a statement on the application of Timor-Leste for ASEAN membership, according to asean.org.

Ministers at the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) Meeting. Photo: Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

They agreed in-principle to admit Timor-Leste to be the 11th member of ASEAN; to grant an observer status to Timor-Leste and allow its participation in all ASEAN Meetings including at the Summit plenaries; to formalize an objective criteria-based Roadmap for Timor-Leste's full membership including based on the milestones identified in the reports of the Fact-Finding Missions conducted by the three ASEAN Community pillars, and tasked the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) to formulate the Roadmap and report to the 42nd ASEAN Summit for adoption; and that all ASEAN member states and external partners shall fully support Timor-Leste to achieve the milestones through the provision of capacity building assistance and any other necessary and relevant support for its full membership in ASEAN./.

Timor Leste Athlete Brings Home Souvenirs from Vietnamese Fans Along with a Vietnamese flag, the foreign athlete also brought many souvenirs representing the love from his Vietnamese fans, like the signature Vietnam pith helmet.

Vietnam, Timor Leste Eye Stronger Cooperation The two sides spotlighted the fruitful development of the bilateral relationship, and briefed each other on the economic and trade development of each country.

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