Transcript of Joint Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito Dos Santos Freitas in Timor-Leste, 24 July 2023

Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas: [in Tetum]

Dear journalists, it is such a great honour for me to receive my dear friend of Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian. This is his first visit showing the very positive sign of great cooperation between Timor-Leste and Singapore. We discussed a lot of good things including cooperation ties as well as preparing for Timor-Leste’s accession into ASEAN. Minister Vivian also highlighted the importance of this friendship and has declared to fully support Timor-Leste in capacity building for all officials in the line ministries.

Minister Vivian Balakrishnan: Thank you. Dadeer di’ak (Good morning). I want to thank my good friend Foreign Minister Freitas for the very warm welcome to this beautiful country.

I was explaining yesterday, when we flew in, (we saw) the wonderful mountains, blue sea, coastline and really warm, hospitable people. Thank you so much. It is a privilege for me to be here on my first official visit to Timor-Leste. I just realised that it is the 24th day in which the new (Timor-Leste) government has been in office since the very successful Parliamentary Election. I must say, you have been very, very busy. I must have seen you at least four or five times in the last three to four days. So, I can assure the people of Timor-Leste that the new government is working very, very hard.

We have had good discussions in these meetings on a whole range of issues, both bilateral as well as multilateral and of course, for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which I know remains a priority for Timor-Leste. It is worth reflecting that our friendship between Singapore and Timor-Leste goes back all the way to the 70s and then later on in 2002, with the restoration of your independence. Singapore was one of the first countries to contribute to peacekeeping operations in Timor-Leste. Over the course of our involvement between 1999 to 2012, the Singapore Armed Forces contributed over 1000 personnel, including medical teams and combat peacekeepers, as well as equipment like landing ship tanks and helicopters. The Singapore Police Force also sent officers to Timor-Leste as part of the UN (United Nations) civilian police contingent - we helped to set up the East Timor police service.

I have taken some time to go through these points so that you understand that the relationship is an older, established relationship based on friendship and mutual respect. Our ties continue to strengthen and now especially, we are looking into the economic field. Singapore was Timor-Leste’s second largest trading partner and export destination in 2021. Singapore is also a major foreign investor in Timor-Lest - it is a vote of confidence in your country, with companies investing in areas including hospitality and real estate. This reflects Timor-Leste’s very real economic potential, particularly having so many young people who are hungry, ready, dynamic, energetic and ready to go.

I am also happy to note that direct flights have resumed between Singapore and Dili. In fact, I came on such a flight the day before. This will enhance people-to-people ties as well as strengthen business cooperation. Singapore has been, and will continue to be a strong supporter for Timor-Leste’s development. Over 800 Timorese officials have participated in our Singapore Cooperation Programme in areas like finance, public administration and economic development.

During President José Ramos-Horta’s State Visit to Singapore last year, we also launched a special technical assistance package, the Singapore-Timor-Leste ASEAN Readiness Support Package, we call it ‘STARS’. It is customised specifically to support Timor-Leste in its preparation for full ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) membership. Minister Freitas and I also discussed how we can bring our bilateral relations to even greater heights. I can assure you that we are very, very keen to do even more with Timor-Leste.

Today, I am also pleased to announce that Singapore will establish an embassy in Dili. I have just presented the Third Party Note to you and we will seek your help to find an appropriate location for us to base our embassy. This will be a significant milestone, and it will serve as a focal point for our bilateral cooperation with Timor-Leste. Once again, I want to thank you for your very warm hospitality, for your friendship, and for much, much work ahead for your team and us and rest assured of our fullest support.

Q&A

Wun Yun Fang (Lianhe Zaobao): Could you share more about the rationale behind setting up an embassy in Timor-Leste now and what is the significance? And could you share more about the timeline for the embassy and would Singapore be appointing a new Ambassador in Timor-Leste?

Minister Balakrishnan: As I said just now, Timor-Leste is an old friend. They have had difficult circumstances in their birth as a country, as a nation. We admire them, we respect them. Now, as they continue to develop as a country and as a nation, especially as they join ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we believe this is the time to establish a resident embassy to be the focal point for our cooperation, for our support and for the mutual exploration of opportunities in the future. Robin Hu is our current Non-Resident Ambassador. He will continue in the meantime because he has been doing a lot of good work. He has made a lot of friends and contacts here. In due course, we will have a resident Ambassador, but for now, Robin remains very much in charge. He knows everyone and will continue his hard work. We will have Singaporean diplomats on the ground. Thank you.

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Photo Caption: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s call on President José Ramos-Horta in Dili, 24 July 2023