(VOVworld) – Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao is on an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The two-day visit is the second one by Mr. Gusmao since August, 2005, when he was the country’s President. The visit aims to enhance bilateral relations in all areas and elicit Vietnam’s support for Timor Leste’s accession to the Association of South East Asian Nations, ASEAN.
Timor Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao |
Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao makes an official visit to Vietnam amidst a stable security, political, social situation in Timor Leste. Last year, Timor Leste saw two important elections of the President and parliament and formed a new government for the 2012-2017 term. The elections were viewed as peaceful and democratic. Mr. Gusmao was elected as Prime Minister to lead the coalition government of three parties. The new government issued an Action Plan and set ambitious targets focusing on developing human resources, upgrading infrastructure, and expanding external relations.
Timor Leste’s GDP growth rate in 2011 and 2012 stood at 10% and its income per capita reached 700 USD. The country is striving to become a middle-income nation by 2015. Timor Leste is negotiating with Indonesia and Australia the establishment of a development triangle to lure foreign investment in infrastructure construction worth a total of 1 billion USD. In its foreign policy, Timor Leste continues to focus on developing relations with regional countries while lobbying to join ASEAN. Timor Leste has been expanding relations with ASEAN countries since it applied for the grouping’s membership in March 2011. This year, Timor Leste leaders visited Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and now Vietnam. Timor Leste has actively been engaged in UN activities. It welcomed the UN Secretary General in August 2012, held an international seminar on the Post-2015 Development Program, and participated proactively in the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Relations between Vietnam and Timor Leste have developed steadily. During a state visit to Vietnam by President Jose Ramos Horta in April 2010, the two countries signed a framework agreement on economic and technical cooperation and the establishment of a joint committee mechanism. Timor Leste opened its embassy in Hanoi in April 2012 and appointed its ambassador here in November 2012. Two-way trade turnover in 2012 reached 35 million USD, nearly triple that of 2011. In the first half of this year, the figure was close to 20 million USD, of which Vietnam’s exports such as rice, seafood and aqua-products accounted for a large share. The Vietnam Military Telecommunications Group, Viettel, is investing 15 million USD in a project to provide telecommunication services in Timor Leste. The two countries have great cooperation potential in agriculture, oil and gas, fisheries, and infrastructure development.
Prime Minister Gusmao’s visit to Vietnam illustrates the country’s aspiration to enhance bilateral ties and multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam, exchange lessons in national construction and development, and discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern. Vietnam will also take this opportunity to strengthen cooperation with Timor Leste, a Southeast Asian nation but not in ASEAN, for the benefit of both nations.