THE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Dionísio da Costa Babo Soares was on his first Official Visit to Singapore from 8th to 9th July 2019. During his visit, Minister Soares met Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore, Minister Soares attended the Timor-Leste-Singapore Business Forum organised by the Timor-Leste Embassy in Singapore. He also delivered a Distinguished Public Lecture at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. In the abstract from of his lecture, he described how in the twenty years since the historic vote for independence on 30 August 1999, Timor-Leste has defied the expectations of a post-conflict country and is now viewed as a success story and an example for other countries. From devastation and destruction, the country has rebuilt, and its economy is continuing to grow from strength to strength. The country intends to become a member of ASEAN and supports the Indo-Pacific concept. The international community was pivotal to Timor-Leste’s success in peacebuilding and state building and the country now looks to how it can contribute to stability in the Asia Pacific region and beyond through forging close bilateral ties and contributing to regional organisations and at the United Nations.
