Vietnam attaches importance to and wants to further strengthen the friendship and good cooperation with Timor-Leste, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta during a reception for the guest in Hanoi on February 25.
The Vietnamese government leader thanked José Ramos-Horta for accepting the invitation to attend and deliver a key speech at the second ASEAN Future Forum (AFF 2025)’s opening session.
The two leaders highly valued the positive progress in bilateral relations, particularly in trade and investment cooperation, highlighting that successful business and investment activities of Telemor, a brand of Vietnam's military-run telecom group Viettel in Timor Leste, have made significant contributions to the Southeast Asian nation’s socio-economic development, and creating jobs for local labourers.
They also agreed to strengthen political trust through all-level exchanges and meetings, effectively implement existing agreements, further improve the legal framework for bilateral cooperation, and fully leverage the huge potential for cooperation between the two countries.
PM Chinh suggested the two sides accelerate negotiations on agreements related to trade, investment protection, labour, and visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports; and step up cooperation in finance, rice production, oil and gas, wind energy, and telecommunications. He called on the Timor-Leste government to invest in projects in Vietnam.
José Ramos-Horta congratulated and expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in economic growth and social development. He stressed that Vietnam has always been a model for Timor-Leste to learn from, and his country hopes to continuously elevate and deepen its relations with Vietnam in a more substantive and practical manner.
The guest called on Vietnam to share its experience in building socio-economic policies and strategies; support Timor-Leste in areas where Vietnam has strengths, such as agriculture, food security, digital economy, and infrastructure development; and increase investment in his country.
Timor-Leste is committed to creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses, he said, thanking Vietnam for its continuous support for his country’s national construction and development, and its accession to ASEAN.
The two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in key areas such as security, defence, information and communications, education and training. They also emphasised commitment to effectively utilise emerging trends like green economy, clean energy, and innovation while promoting people-to-people exchanges through tourism and cultural interactions.
Discussing international and regional issues, the two sides agreed to continue coordinating and supporting each other at multilateral forums.
PM Chinh praised Timor-Leste’s determination and efforts in implementing its roadmap for full ASEAN membership, reaffirming Vietnam’s consistent support for Timor-Leste’s early accession to the grouping./.
