President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste has met with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, in the first summit between the two nations.
According to reports, Horta and his delegation met with Modi in Gandhinagar last week, during the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. Horta expressed gratitude for India’s support in addressing his country’s development priorities, particularly in healthcare and IT capacity building. Modi offered assistance to Timor-Leste in those sectors as well as several others, including human resource development, fintech, energy, traditional medicine, and pharmaceuticals.
Modi also underscored his country’s commitment to fostering a vibrant “Delhi-Dili” connection. India opened its first embassy in the Timorese capital last September as part of a plan to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.
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Prime Minister Modi also extended invitations to Timor-Leste to join two India-based organisations: the International Solar Alliance, focused on solar power utilisation, and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, aimed at promoting research and knowledge-sharing in the fields of infrastructure risk management, standards, financing and recovery mechanisms.
Modi meanwhile acknowledged ASEAN’s in-principle decision to admit Timor-Leste, granting it observer status in all high-level meetings, and expressed optimism for its full membership in the near future. Horta expressed his strong support for India gaining permanent membership to the UN Security Council.
The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which marked its 20th anniversary in 2023, brings together 34 countries and 16 partner organisations to showcase investment opportunities in sustainable development.
