Joint Press Release: On the Occasion of  State Visit of H.E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta, President of the Republic-The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the Republic of the Philippines

PASAY CITY 10 November 2023 – Upon the invitation of H.E. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, H.E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, paid a State Visit to the Republic of the Philippines on the 10th of November 2023. President Ramos-Horta expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the warm hospitality accorded and extended to him and his delegation during this visit.

President Ramos-Horta highly appreciated the significant role played by the Philippines’ Peacekeeping Forces in Timor-Leste and expressed its heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the support and contribution of the brave women and men in uniform during the critical period that helped to restore peace and stability following the referendum in 1999.

Both Presidents assessed the current state of the two-decade long bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Timor-Leste, a friendship which began in 2002 when the Joint Communique on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations was signed. The two nations shared the views that they have acted with mutual respect and shared common values of democracy and human rights and that there are still potentials for deeper and further cooperation of both countries.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promote visits and exchanges at all levels, with the view to strengthen further relations by encouraging officials to make use of the existing bilateral policy dialogue mechanism. Both leaders further instructed the relevant government departments to resume and convene the next policy consultation mechanism in Timor-Leste in order to discuss the various issues and avenues of cooperation between the two countries.

The two Leaders agreed to prioritize cooperation in the fields of higher education, health, and social security among others, for the betterment of their citizens. Towards this end, the two Leaders directed their concerned agencies to renew the Memorandum of Agreement on Cooperation in Higher Education and to conclude at an early date the negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding on Health Cooperation as well as the Agreement on Social Security and on Air Services Agreement (ASA).
The Philippines reiterated its long-standing support for Timor-Leste’s admission as a full member of ASEAN. Timor-Leste expressed its gratitude and provided updates on its efforts and progress in implementing the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in ASEAN.

On Technical Cooperation, both sides discussed plans to address the socio-economic challenges in Timor-Leste. The Philippines expresses readiness to provide capacity building projects for Timor-Leste, in consideration of Philippine expertise and the needs of Timor-Leste, as part of the Philippines’ contributions to support the early realization of Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership. The two Leaders directed their relevant agencies to discuss further details to ensure the successful implementation of these projects.
President Marcos Jr. and President Ramos-Horta also exchanged views on various regional issues, including developments in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea as well as various international issues of common concerns.

Finally, Timor-Leste reaffirmed its support for the bid of the Philippines as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2027-2028. END