Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation defends commitment to multilateralism during a visit to the g7+ European headquarters
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas, met with the Secretary General of the g7+, Hélder da Costa, and the Ambassadors of the g7+ member states accredited to Portugal at the organisation's European headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, on August 22nd, 2023. 
During this visit, Hélder da Costa briefed the Minister on the g7+'s main ongoing activities in Lisbon and its future priorities, including optimising the g7+'s observer status at the United Nations.
In his speech, Minister Bendito Freitas stressed “the importance of Timor-Leste conducting a foreign policy that promotes multilateralism as a priority national objective, given the current complexity of the international situation”. To this end, he considered it “imperative to continue to invest in Timor-Leste's involvement with regional and international organisations that have been fundamental pillars in the continued support of national development objectives, (...) to boost economic, social and cultural partnerships, essential for attracting investment and building the capacity of national institutions and human resources”.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation said that multilateralism, which “prompted the launch, in 2010, of the idea of creating an institutionalised, transcontinental group of states considered to be 'fragile' affected by the conflict, which today we call the g7+”, “has always been a structuring and distinctive feature of Timor-Leste's historical journey, which has learned, from experience, the inestimable value of the ability to strengthen partnerships and promote cooperation and dialogue for the construction of peace and stability”. 
“The Programme of the 9th Constitutional Government establishes as its priority objective the reinforcement of cooperation to implement initiatives that lead to the development and consolidation of peace and stability within the framework of the g7+”, an organisation that “currently brings together 20 countries that not only saw in their so-called 'fragility' a uniting factor for the necessary resilience and adaptability but also share the urgent need for new approaches, methodologies of action and forms of mutual assistance (Fragile to Fragile Cooperation), to promote sustainable development in crucial sectoral areas such as security, justice, good governance and transparency, economy and finance,” he said.
The Minister also mentioned the “consensual declaration by ASEAN leaders, issued at the end of last year, to agree 'in principle' to admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member state, granting it observer status”, pointing out that “ASEAN is currently the 3rd largest economy in Asia, and the 5th largest in the world, after the United States of America, China, Japan and Germany, and is expected to become the 4th largest economy in the world by 2030”.
