Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas of Timor-Leste visits Singapore, strengthening bilateral ties and signing a mutual visa waiver agreement.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, is on an official visit to Singapore from 26 to 28 June 2024. This visit marks Minister Freitas’ first official trip to Singapore.
On 27 June 2024, Minister Freitas met with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During their meeting, they discussed the longstanding and friendly relations between Singapore and Timor-Leste. Prime Minister Wong expressed Singapore’s support for Timor-Leste’s efforts to join ASEAN, highlighting the Singapore-Timor-Leste ASEAN Readiness Support (STARS) package launched in December 2022 and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration.
Later that day, Minister Freitas had lunch with Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. The two ministers reaffirmed the strong relationship between their countries and celebrated the establishment of the Singapore Embassy in Dili in April 2024, a significant milestone in their bilateral relations. They agreed to enhance cooperation in various sectors, including human resource development, trade and investment, energy, and education.
Following their meeting, the ministers signed an agreement on mutual visa waivers for diplomatic, official, service, and ordinary passport holders. This agreement allows holders of Singaporean Diplomatic, Official, and Ordinary passports to stay in Timor-Leste for up to 30 days without a visa. Similarly, holders of Timorese Diplomatic, Official, Service, and Ordinary passports can enjoy a visa-free stay of up to 30 days in Singapore. This agreement supports Timor-Leste’s roadmap to ASEAN membership and strengthens people-to-people connections between the two countries.
Additionally, Minister Freitas received a briefing from the MFA Diplomatic Academy on the training of diplomats, highlighting the ongoing commitment to diplomatic education and professional development.
source – MFA
