Timor Leste is a  young nation at a time of "great opportunity and challenge", said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, adding that it was a "fortuitous time" to visit.

He was speaking at a doorstop interview in Timor-Leste on Jun. 26, where he is making a "hectic" four-day official visit from Jul. 23 to 27.

Meeting with Timorese leaders

On Jul. 24, he called on Timor-Leste’s President José Ramos-Horta as well as Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão.

Vivian remarked on the "Significant reservoir of goodwill, trust, and political capital" that Singapore enjoyed with the government of Timor Leste, and that both Ramos-Horta and Gusmão were "old friends of Singapore" who knew Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong quite well.

He said that Timor Leste remembered well the nearly thousand-strong deployment of Singaporean armed forces, police, civilians, and administrators who helped during the country's difficult transition to independence from 1999 to 2012.

"They remember it, and they remind us of how Singapore stood with Timor-Leste, of how Singapore supported the people and the fledgling government."

Ramos-Horta had made a state visit to Singapore in December 2022, becoming the first Timor-Leste president to visit the country.

During the visit, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reaffirmed Singapore’s in-principle support for Timor-Leste’s Asean membership,  and launched the "Singapore-Timor-Leste Asean Readiness Support" (STARS) package.

Vivian said that STARS was to help Timor Leste build capacity amongst their  bureaucrats and civil servants for the "arduous" process of Asean accession.

Singapore's assistance predated STARS, with more than 800 Timor Leste civil servants having come to Singapore to learn and observe.

But beyond STARS, Singapore could also help Timor Leste with bringing in foreign investment, and that Singaporean projects that succeed in the country serve as encouragement for other investments.

Supportive of Timor-Leste's development

During the meetings between Vivian and the Timorese leaders, both sides affirmed the “warm and longstanding” bilateral ties, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Vivian expressed Singapore’s “strong and consistent support for Timor-Leste’s development,” being one of the first nations to assist its nation building efforts between 1999 and 2012.

"They remember it, and they remind us of how Singapore stood with Timor-Leste, of how Singapore supported the people and the fledgling government."

He also reiterated Singapore’s commitment to support the country’s capacity-building through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, which has welcomed over 800 Timorese officials.

He later called on Timor-Leste’s Vice Prime Minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay and was hosted to dinner by Bendito dos Santos Freitas, the Timorese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Vivian also remarked during the doorstop that Timor Leste was a country 20 times larger than Singapore, with a young population a quarter the size of Singapore's.

There were several economic opportunities, in agriculture and tourism, but the biggest opportunity lay in the Greater Sunrise oil and gas project.

Timor Leste possessed many opportunities that Singapore did not have, but also a more difficult journey.

It was ultimately about "a hardworking, disciplined population, ambitious, hungry for success, and the ability to organise the system".

Calling on examples of Singaporeans who had been working in the country for several years, he cited Singaporeans who had been building integrated resorts, setting up schools, and working in Timor Leste's healthcare sector, he hoped other Singaporeans would try to make a difference by working with Timor Leste's young people.

Vivian gave the example of St Paul's Methodist school which was started by a pair of Singaporeans, which had become one of the largest schools in the capital of Dili with about 700 students.

"This will be another frontier for our companies, investing to provide opportunities for young Singaporeans who care about others and care about opportunities for others in our region."

Singapore to open embassy

Singapore will also be opening an embassy in Dili, Vivian announced during a joint press conference with Frietas.

“This will be a significant milestone, and it will serve as a focal point for our bilateral cooperation with Timor-Leste,” he said.

He added that Timor-Leste is “an old friend” and “it [was] time to establish a resident embassy”, taking into account the country’s development and incoming Asean membership.

Vivian also reiterated Singapore’s Singapore’s support for Timor-Leste’s eventual accession to Asean, in accordance with a roadmap adopted at the Asean summit in May 2023.

Viana spoke about Timor Leste's leaders' determination to join Asean and "take their rightful place in the regional architecture of Asean and the world".

Timor Leste already was participating in Asean as part of its accession process, with foreign minister Frietas attending all Asean's meetings. 

Vivian's expectations of the embassy was that it would act as a focal point for Singaporeans investing, working, living, and visiting Timor Leste.

Calling Singaporeans "intrepid tourist", he expected to eventually see evermore Singaporeans in Timor Leste.

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Top images via Facebook/Vivian Balakrishnan