KUALA LUMPUR: Having secured Asean membership after 14 years of preparation, Timor-Leste is now seeking Malaysia’s partnership to translate its place in the regional bloc into tangible benefits through investment, education, skills training and institutional development.
Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas said Malaysia had been a steadfast friend and played an important role in supporting Timor-Leste’s admission as Asean’s 11th member in Kuala Lumpur during Malaysia’s chairmanship of the bloc in 2025.
Malaysia’s support for Timor-Leste predates its independence in 2002. It was the first country to establish a liaison office in Dili in 2001 and the first Asean country to open an embassy there in 2002.
“Malaysia played an important role in helping Timor-Leste join Asean. We now look forward to Malaysia becoming an equally important partner in helping us succeed within Asean,” he said in a written interview with Bernama.
Freitas said Timor-Leste welcomed greater Malaysian investment in agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and digital services, as well as partnerships with Malaysian and other Asean businesses that could provide technology, expertise and access to distribution networks.
He said Timor-Leste would welcome cooperation between Malaysian financial institutions and its National Development Bank, established with US$30 million in initial state capital to improve access to long-term financing for local businesses.
Under its National Mid-Term Plan 2027–2030, Timor-Leste aims to mobilise US$40 million in additional financing for micro, small and medium enterprises through development banking, credit guarantees and other mechanisms, he said.
Beyond financing, Freitas said the government was helping local producers improve product quality, packaging and digital marketing to meet regional market standards.
Timor-Leste had also developed proposals under the Initiative for Asean Integration to support sustainable tourism and climate-resilient coffee production, he said.
“Our objective is not simply to open Asean markets to Timorese businesses, but to prepare Timorese businesses to succeed in those markets,” he said.
On education, Freitas said Timor-Leste wanted to expand scholarships, academic exchanges and university partnerships, including cooperation with institutions such as Universiti Kuala Lumpur in science, technology and technical education.
He said Malaysia’s Human Resource Development Corporation and Timor-Leste’s National Institute for Workforce Development could work together on workforce planning, skills assessment and technical training.
Malaysia’s experience within Asean is another area Timor-Leste hopes to draw on as it prepares to assume the bloc’s chairmanship in 2029, with Freitas pointing to the need to strengthen the country’s diplomatic, administrative and technical capabilities.
“Our objective is to translate these opportunities into concrete programmes, investment partnerships and institutional exchanges.
“I believe this partnership can become a strong example of regional solidarity translated into shared development and prosperity,” he said.