Timor Leste seeks Vietnam's assistance in key areas

President José Ramos-Horta of Timor Leste made the proposal during his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on August 2.

He also proposed that Vietnam increase its investments into Timor Leste, while affirming that the government of Timor-Leste is committed to creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to operate efficiently in the country.

The President singled out Vietnam as a success story in healing the wound of war and spurring economic development. He thanked Vietnam for supporting Timor Leste in national construction, as well as in its ongoing bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Chinh for his part welcomed José Ramos-Horta's ongoing visit that marks the journey of more than 20 years of diplomacy between Vietnam and Timor Leste, contributing to strengthening political trust and creating new momentum for bilateral relations in the coming time.

He congratulated Timor Leste on the achievements it has recorded in national development over the years as well as its ongoing preparations to join ASEAN. He and expressed his belief that Timor-Leste would soon realize its national strategic development plan for 2011-2030 and integrate further into the world.

Chinh proposed that the two sides soon extend or sign a new Memorandum of Understanding on rice trading, helping to ensure national food security. He encouraged Timor-Leste to increase the import of Vietnamese goods suitable to its needs and tastes such as textiles, footwear, beverages, dairy products, processed foods, and agricultural and aquatic products.

The PM expected that Timor-Leste would soon completely resolve businesses difficulties and create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to expand operations, especially in the fields of telecommunications, digital transformation and oil and gas exploration and exploitation.

Both host and guest agreed to ramp up cooperation in other important fields, such as security, defense, information and communication, education and training; effectively take advantage of growing trends such as green economy, clean energy, and innovation; and promote people-to-people exchanges through tourism development and cultural exchanges.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides agreed to continue to coordinate and support each other at multilateral organizations.

Chinh voiced Vietnam's support for Timor-Leste to soon become a full member of ASEAN.

José Ramos-Horta affirmed that Timor-Leste is ready to support Vietnam's candidacy for all multilateral, regional and international mechanisms and organizations.

The two sides pledged to further back ASEAN's principled stance on the East Sea, as well as efforts to maintain peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the regional waters.

They stressed the need to resolve maritime disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); seriously and fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and facilitate negotiations on the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC), contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development in the region.

José Ramos-Horta respectfully invited Chinh to visit Timor Leste, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

(Source: VOV)