Government of Timor-Leste

From July 21^st to 27^th,  2024, Timor-Leste will attend the 57th ASEAN Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting (AMM) and related meetings in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic. 

The Timorese delegation will be led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, accompanied by the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs and Leader of Timor-Leste's SOM (Senior Officials' Meeting), Milena Rangel.

In addition to the 57th AMM, Timor-Leste's participation will include several parallel meetings, namely the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission Meeting; the ASEAN Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting; the Interface with Representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR); the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC); the 25th ASEAN Plus Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting (25th APT FMM); the 14th East Asia Summit Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting (14th EAS FMM); and the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum (31st ARF). 

As part of the official programme, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ASEAN and Timor-Leste will also pay a courtesy visit to Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

During these meetings, Minister Bendito Freitas will take the opportunity to share progress on implementing the Roadmap for Timor-Leste's Full Membership of ASEAN and exchange views on regional and international issues. 

Minister Bendito Freitas will also hold bilateral meetings with various external ASEAN partners on the sidelines of the official meetings. The aim is to discuss Timor-Leste's accession process to ASEAN and explore future areas of cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties.