FM affirms Egypt’s commitment to developing relations with Timor-Leste

Egypt and Timor-Leste are seeking to deepen their bilateral relationship, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty affirming keenness to strengthen ties during a meeting with his Timor-Leste counterpart, Bendito dos Santos Freitas. The meeting occurred on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila, Philippines.

Abdelatty highlighted the significance of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, noting that their partnership is built on a historical foundation, including Egypt's participation in UN peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste. He expressed hope that Timor-Leste's recent membership in ASEAN would foster greater regional integration and open new avenues for development and cooperation.

Discussions explored expanding cooperation in several key areas. These included agricultural training through grants from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), capacity building in the petroleum sector, joint training for military and police personnel involved in UN peacekeeping, and disaster response. Egypt also offered to revive diplomatic training programs for Timorese officials through the Egyptian Diplomatic Institute.

In cultural and educational fields, Egypt praised existing cooperation, particularly Al-Azhar Al-Sharif's scholarships for Timorese students. Both ministers committed to maintaining coordination in international forums and supporting each other's candidacies in global organizations, reflecting the friendly relations and shared interests between Egypt and Timor-Leste.