Parliament approves trips by the President of Timor-Leste, including to Portugal
The October authorization, enacted by law and approved in plenary session, state visit to Cambodia, on October 23, with the agenda being dominated by the process of accession of Timor-Leste to the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), and that could be implemented as early as next year.
In September, in Parliament remembered, José Ramos-Horta reminded Cambodian minister currently a rotating president of ASEAN, noting that the “trusted prime minister, Prime Minister Hun Sen” “has been an important supporter of Timor-Leste’s membership regional organization”.
The visit to Phnom Penh “will be an opportunity to explore opportunities for trade and investment, particularly in the agricultural sector”, he said, in the speech delivered today in parliament, at the opening of the 5th session and in the legislation of this legislature.
A few days after returning to Dili, José Ramos-Horta leaves for Europe, making a two-day working visit (28 and 29 October) to Geneva, before the State visit to Portugal, at the invitation of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, between October 30th and November 1st.
The Timorese head of state will remain in Portugal until November 4th, to participate, at the invitation of the organizers, in WebSummit 2022.
Other regional visits are planned for December, namely to Vietnam and Singapore, which he classified as “a friend and constant partner” of Timor-Leste and where he intends to “explore more investments” in the country.
“Through trade and investment to expand and deepen our regional integration. There is no need, for the start of economic and strategic integration, we continue to explore all avenues of regional economic integration. WTO accession, another natural extension of our integration regional and global economy,” said Ramos-Horta.
As accessions to ASEAN, which is also expected to materialize in 2023, and to the World Trade Organization (WTO) “are driven by Timor-Leste’s own economic interests, such as the process of internal economic reform to ensure a healthy environment for investments foreign exchange and national investment, the diversification of the Timorese economy,” he said.
There were provided for the security of politics, the economic case of all the pillars of education that have already been completed.
“Their reports support our own views and the institutions of the United Nations Agencies, the Breton Woods, as well as the AfDB. [Banco Asiático de Desenvolvimento] and the foreign missions based in Dili, where Timor-Leste has taken steps since our independence and where we should be welcome to this regional organization as its 11th member”, he said.
“We live in an interconnected world, where the principle of no one behind should be in all the development processes of our neighbors.”, said Ramos-Horta.