Korea-Timor-Leste Foreign Ministers Hold Talks: "Active Support for Timor-Leste's ASEAN Integration"

The government is expanding its areas of cooperation with Timor-Leste, a new member of ASEAN, in line with its diplomatic stance that prioritizes the Global South and ASEAN. The plan is to support Timor-Leste’s capacity building following its accession to ASEAN last year, while also broadening the scope of cooperation to include education, human resources development, climate change, and infrastructure.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Benedito Dos Santos Freitas, Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste, are posing for a commemorative photo at the Korea-Timor-Leste Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on the 29th at the Government Complex Seoul. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 29th, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks with Benedito Dos Santos Freitas, Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste, at the annex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Government Complex Seoul on this day. They discussed ways to advance bilateral relations and exchanged views on the regional situation.

Minister Cho stated, "The special connection forged through the past deployment of the Evergreen Unit (PKO) and joint efforts during Timor-Leste’s independence and nation-building process is a major asset to the relationship between our two countries," and added, "Korea will be a true friend and cooperation partner as Timor-Leste successfully integrates into ASEAN and accelerates its national development."

He also explained the Korean government’s focus on ASEAN and pledged to continue actively supporting Timor-Leste’s integration process into ASEAN as an enthusiastic supporter of its accession.

This meeting marks the first visit to Korea by Timor-Leste’s foreign minister in over 15 years and is the first foreign ministers’ meeting between the two countries since Timor-Leste joined ASEAN in October last year. The government explained that this is an extension of the Global South and ASEAN-focused diplomacy being pursued by the Lee Jaemyung administration, going beyond bilateral cooperation. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official commented, "Especially in the context of our ASEAN-focused diplomacy, we are engaging in very active diplomatic exchanges with small and medium-sized countries that have had relatively limited interaction until now."

Both sides acknowledged that labor cooperation through the Employment Permit System has contributed to both countries’ economies and to strengthening ties of friendship, and agreed to expand cooperation in education, human resources development, and government capacity building. They also decided to broaden cooperation to include international greenhouse gas reduction projects, carbon capture and storage (CCS), marine and infrastructure cooperation, and security cooperation to address transnational crime.

Korea established its ties with Timor-Leste by dispatching the Evergreen Unit, consisting of about 3,000 personnel, to support security and humanitarian relief efforts from 1999 to 2003. Following Timor-Leste’s independence in 2002, the two countries established diplomatic relations and have continued their partnership, focusing on development cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

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