Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and his Timor-Leste counterpart Rala Xanana Gusmao held talks in Hanoi on June 9, agreeing to further expanding the two countries’ cooperation in various spheres.

Welcoming his guest on an official visit to Vietnam and attendance at the third ASEAN Future Forum, PM Hung described the trip as a demonstration of the high level of political trust, friendship and mutual support between the two countries.

He congratulated Timor-Leste on its recent significant achievements, especially the fact that Timor-Leste has officially become a member of ASEAN, calling this an important milestone contributing to the solidarity, centrality, and vitality of the bloc.

The host expressed his confidence that with a strong commitment to integration, Timor-Leste will soon fully and effectively participate in ASEAN's cooperation mechanisms, thereby joining other member states in contributing to peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region.

PM Xanana Gusmao congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic development achievements, as well as its successful hosting of the third ASEAN Future Forum (AFF-3), which holds great importance for exchanging visions on regional cooperation.

Thanking Vietnam for its support for Timor-Leste throughout the country’s process of applying to join ASEAN, he stressed that Vietnam is not only a reliable friend but also an effective and close development partner of Timor-Leste.

The two PMs shared the view that Vietnam and Timor-Leste boast considerable potential and advantages to further expand cooperation for the benefit of their peoples, as well as for stable, self-reliant, and sustainable development in the region.

Expressing their delight at the strides in Vietnam – Timor-Leste relations, they agreed to continue consolidating political trust, increasing high-level mutual visits and meetings between their parties, states, governments and parliaments, and promoting people-to-people exchanges.

They also agreed to effectively implement the signed high-level agreements and documents, including the Framework Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, and to soon hold the first meeting of the Vietnam – Timor-Leste Joint Committee co-chaired by the two foreign ministers, with a view to elevating bilateral relations to a new level on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2027.

Both PMs welcomed the signing of cooperation documents on visa exemption, education, and information and communications during the visit, creating an important stepping stone for strengthening people-to-people exchanges and expanding collaboration in various fields.

Regarding economic, trade, and investment partnerships, the two leaders agreed on the need to better tap into their countries’ potential and complementary strengths; promptly ratify and effectively implement the Bilateral Trade Agreement; and promote cooperation in the fields of rice, farm produce, fisheries, textiles – garment, footwear, essential consumer goods, telecommunications, digital transformation, infrastructure, agriculture, and services.

The visiting leader requested Vietnam to continue supplying its strong products to the Timor-Leste market, especially rice, thus helping ensure food security for his country.

He highly valued the investments by Vietnamese businesses, especially Viettel with its Telemor brand, which have positively contributed to the development of digital infrastructure and connectivity in Timor-Leste. He expressed his hope for more Vietnamese businesses to come to invest in agriculture, fisheries, tourism, infrastructure, and natural resources exploitation.

Meanwhile, PM Hung proposed that the two sides step up the negotiation and signing of an agreement on investment promotion and protection, and consider the establishment of a bilateral mechanism on the economy, trade, and investment to provide timely support for businesses.

The two leaders also agreed to bolster ties in potential areas such as defence – security, agriculture, fisheries, food security, education – training, human resources development, culture, tourism, sports, transport connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges. They concurred in boosting the exchange of experiences in sustainable agricultural development, climate change adaptation, marine economy development, and sustainable fisheries, including aquaculture, fishing, and processing.

PM Hung affirmed that Vietnam is ready to share its experience in development, international integration, and human resources training, and to send experts to support Timor-Leste in areas that meet its needs.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, the two PMs agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at the United Nations, ASEAN, and other regional and international forums while jointly maintaining ASEAN's solidarity and centrality, and promoting peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region, including upholding international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Concluding the talks, they agreed to direct relevant ministries and agencies to implement the agreements and common understandings reached, contributing to the increasingly substantive and effective development of Vietnam – Timor-Leste relations.

On this occasion, the two sides exchanged several cooperation documents, including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on higher education cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture; an MoU on educational cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Education; a visa exemption agreement for holders of ordinary passports between the two Governments; and an MoU between the Vietnam News Agency and the TATOLI News Agency. (VNA)