The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, met on September 18^th, 2026 in Dili with the Australian Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Tiffany McDonald, accompanied by the Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Caitlin Wilson, and other representatives from the Australian Embassy and the Australian Mission to ASEAN, to discuss shared priorities regarding Timor-Leste’s participation in ASEAN and cooperation between the two countries in this context.

During the meeting, Timor-Leste’s priorities as a new ASEAN Member State, preparations for assuming the organisation’s Chairmanship in 2029, and opportunities for bilateral cooperation to strengthen national capacities were discussed.

Among the areas discussed were the infrastructure and facilities required to host ASEAN meetings, human resources, protocol, security, border and maritime security, English-language training, communication, accreditation systems, and cooperation in the field of information technology, including cyber security.

Minister Agio Pereira emphasised the need for preparations for 2029 to build national capacities that will endure beyond Timor-Leste’s term as ASEAN Chair and to support the country’s long-term participation in the organisation.

The meeting also addressed the experiences of previous ASEAN Chairmanships and possible ways to adapt them to Timor-Leste’s national circumstances, priorities and capabilities. The two sides further discussed continued coordination to identify specific areas of cooperation during the preparation process.

The meeting took place as part of Ambassador Tiffany McDonald’s visit to Timor-Leste, which began on September 16^th, during which she held meetings with national officials on Timor-Leste’s participation in ASEAN and cooperation between the two countries in this context.

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Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers meets with the Australian Ambassador to ASEAN

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