Singapore reaffirms support for Timor-Leste's ASEAN membership

SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reaffirmed Singapore's principle support for Timor-Leste's ASEAN membership on Thursday after a meeting with Timor-Leste President Jos Ramos-Horta, said on Thursday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs MFA Mr Ramos-Horta was visited by President Halimah Yacob and was hosted by Mr Lee for an official lunch.

During the meetings, both sides affirmed the warm and longstanding relationships between Singapore and Timor-Leste, which date back to before Timor-Leste s independence, said MFA.

Madam Halimah and Mr Lee also affirmed Singapore's commitment to support Timor-Leste development through capacity building programmes, and welcomed more Timorese officials to participate in the Singapore Cooperation Programme, a flagship platform for technical assistance to fellow developing countries.

MFA said that Singapore was committed to work constructively with other ASEAN member states on an objective criteria-based roadmap for Timor-Leste's membership in the Southeast Asian regional bloc.

Singapore-Timor-Leste ASEAN Readiness Support STARS will launch a special technical assistance package to help Timor-Leste improve their capacity to prepare for ASEAN membership, according to the ministry.

The STARS package will consist of courses for more than 300 Timor-Leste officials in two priority areas, namely ASEAN knowledge and skills training, as well as education capacity building. There will be courses on English language communication, note-taking and report-writing and negotiations for more than 200 Timor-Leste officials.

Around 100 Timor-Leste teachers, school administrators and education officials will be trained to develop the country's education system to prepare the younger generation to join the ASEAN community.

On Thursday, Mr Ramos-Horta also had a new orchid hybrid, the Dendrobium Jos Ramos-Horta, named in his honour.