PM Lee reaffirms Singapore’s in principle support for Timor-Leste's ASEAN membership
Singapore will also train more than 300 Timor-Leste officials to help the country prepare for membership of the Southeast Asian regional bloc.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Dec 8, 2022 hosted Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta to an official lunch on his first state visit to Singapore. (Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information)
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday (Dec 8) reaffirmed Singapore’s in principle support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership during a meeting with Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Mr Ramos-Horta, in Singapore for his first-ever state visit from Dec 6 to Dec 11, was on Thursday received by President Halimah Yacob and hosted by Mr Lee to an official lunch.
During the meetings, both sides affirmed the warm and longstanding relations between Singapore and Timor-Leste, which date back to before Timor-Leste’s independence, said MFA.
Madam Halimah and Mr Lee also reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to support Timor-Leste’s development through capacity building programmes, and welcomed more Timorese officials to participate in the Singapore Cooperation Programme - a flagship platform for extending technical assistance to fellow developing countries.
Mr Lee reaffirmed Singapore's commitment to work constructively with other ASEAN member states on an "objective criteria-based" roadmap for Timor-Leste’s membership of the Southeast Asian regional bloc, said MFA.
To help Timor-Leste build up capacity to prepare for ASEAN membership, Singapore will launch a special technical assistance Singapore-Timor-Leste ASEAN Readiness Support (STARS) package, the ministry added.
“The STARS package will comprise courses for more than 300 Timor-Leste officials in two priority areas, namely ASEAN knowledge and skills training, as well as education capacity building."
There will be courses on English language communication, note-taking and report-writing and negotiations for more than 200 Timor-Leste officials.
Around 100 Timor-Leste teachers, school administrators and education officials will be trained to develop the country's education system to help prepare the younger generation to join the ASEAN community.
On Thursday, Mr Ramos-Horta also had a new orchid hybrid, the Dendrobium José Ramos-Horta, named in his honour.
