Prime Minister in London to Prepare for Boundary Delimitation Negotiations
Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão traveled to London to participate in a strategic meeting on September 19th to 20th, 2025, with leading international legal experts and the national legal team, as part of the preparation for formal negotiations with Indonesia on the delimitation of land and maritime borders, scheduled for early December.
In London, the Head of Government, accompanied by staff from the Land and Maritime Boundary Office, met with senior lawyers and legal advisors who have been following Timor-Leste's border delimitation process, with the aim of agreeing and preparing the national position to be presented in negotiations with Indonesia. 
As part of this trip, and representing the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, the Prime Minister presented the Order of Timor-Leste to three foreign figures who played a decisive role in the process of demarcating the maritime border between Timor-Leste and Australia, completed in 2018. The honorees included Professor Sir Elihu Lauterpacht (posthumously), Professor Alan Vaughan Lowe, and Janet Legrand OBE KC (Hon). These awards followed an official ceremony held in Dili in May of this year, in which 15 individuals were recognized for their contributions to the establishment of maritime borders in the Timor Sea, a ceremony which the three honorees were unable to attend.
On the occasion, Xanana Gusmão emphasized that, "at a time when we are in the process of border negotiations with Indonesia, these decorations represent recognition and gratitude, on behalf of the President of the Republic and the Timorese people, for everyone's contribution." The Head of Government also expressed confidence that "they will continue to share the wisdom that allowed us to achieve success with Australia, and that will also help us achieve positive results in the negotiations with Indonesia."
During his stay, the Prime Minister also met with the Timorese community living in the United Kingdom, accompanied by Ambassador João Paulo da Costa Rangel. During the meeting, he expressed his satisfaction with how the Timorese live in unity, supporting each other, and contributing to the prestige of Timor-Leste.
The Ambassador highlighted the progress made in responding to citizens' needs, including the issuance of thousands of passports and identity cards, the opening of consulates in Belfast and Glasgow, and the planning of a new representation in Greenwich, as well as the prospect of opening a UK Embassy in Dili.
Before arriving in the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister visited Bali province in Indonesia to express solidarity with the victims of heavy rains that caused flooding in several towns on the island, leaving 18 people dead, hundreds homeless, and serious damage to infrastructure. Considering this situation, the Council of Ministers, at its meeting on September 12th, approved the allocation of US$2.5 million to Bali province to support humanitarian assistance and recovery efforts.
The Prime Minister returns to Dili today, September 22nd, 2025. END
