Remarks by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong at the joint press conference with Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Xanana Gusmão on 3 July 2026.

Thank you very much, Prime Minister Gusmão, once again for the warm welcome extended to me and my delegation. I am glad to be in Dili for this historic visit. It is significant in several ways. It is my first visit to Timor-Leste. It is the first visit by a Singapore Prime Minister, and it comes during Timor-Leste’s first year as a full member of ASEAN.

Singapore is privileged to be able to partner Timor-Leste on its nation-building journey. We have been doing so even before your independence. We were among the first countries to contribute personnel to the International Force East Timor (INTERFET). More than 1,000 Singaporeans served here in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. Since then, we have continued to support Timor-Leste’s priorities through capacity-building and human resource development. Over 1,300 Timorese officials have participated in our training programmes.

As these exchanges have grown, so too have our bilateral ties. Singapore opened our resident Embassy in Dili in 2024, and we appointed our first resident Ambassador earlier this year.

These are important milestones that reflect our commitment to building a stronger partnership with Timor-Leste.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Gusmão and I discussed how we can take our cooperation to the next level, and let me highlight several key areas of our discussion.

First, we will strengthen bilateral exchanges. Our Foreign Ministries will establish a regular consultation mechanism to discuss not just bilateral issues, but also regional, international and strategic developments. And this will provide a platform for closer coordination between our two governments.

Second, Singapore will continue to support Timor-Leste’s integration into ASEAN. Last year, during Prime Minister Gusmão’s visit to Singapore, we launched the enhanced Singapore Timor-Leste ASEAN Readiness Support package or the eSTARS package. Now that Timor-Leste has joined ASEAN, the next priority is for it to contribute fully to the organisation and prepare for its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2029. So we will expand the eSTARS package to include more ASEAN-related programmes. We will organise tailored workshops on the duties of ASEAN Chairmanship for officials in Dili, and we welcome attachments by Timorese officials to Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship teams, so that they can gain practical first-hand experience.

Third, we will strengthen our economic ties. Singapore is already one of the largest investors in Timor-Leste. Our companies are exploring opportunities across a wide range of sectors, from wholesale trade to renewable energy, and the blue economy. These investments reflect growing interest and confidence in Timor-Leste’s future. By working together, we can create new business opportunities, support economic diversification, and generate growth that benefits both our peoples. Next year, Singapore will also open selected sectors and occupations to Timorese workers in Singapore. This will create new opportunities for Timorese people while strengthening our business and people-to-people links.

Fourth, we will continue to invest in human capital because for small countries like ours, people are our greatest asset. That is why we will deepen cooperation in healthcare, to support capability building and workforce development. And we will also cooperate in education, to support Timor-Leste’s National Institute for Training of Teachers and Education Professionals, in developing school leaders who will help nurture and shape the next generation.

Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting members of the Singaporean community here in Timor-Leste. They are small in number, but they have made significant contributions over many years, and they are helping to strengthen the friendship between our two countries in practical and lasting ways. We will build on these strong foundations to strengthen our cooperation and friendship further.

Prime Minister, our two countries may be small nations, although you are much bigger in land area, but we are small nations. Nevertheless, we share the same conviction: that our size does not determine our destiny, and that we can shape our own future through courage, hard work and strong partnerships.

Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN marks the beginning of a new chapter – not just for your country, not just for ASEAN, but also for the partnership between Singapore and Timor-Leste.

So, I look forward to working closely with you as we deepen this partnership and create new opportunities for our peoples in the years ahead. Thank you very much once again.