The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, took part in the 7th Indian Ocean Conference, held in Perth, Australia, on February 9th and 10th, 2024. The event brought together more than four hundred delegates from across the Indian Ocean region, including government officials, academics, and multilateral organisations, to discuss positive and practical ways of working towards a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indian Ocean. 
The conference, whose theme was “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”, provided a platform for dialogue between the States of the region, with a view to cooperation, negotiation, and prosperity between them. Common challenges faced by the region, such as security, climate change, ocean health, maritime safety, trade, and economic development, were addressed in a bid to find shared solutions. 
Minister Bendito Freitas actively participated in the conference, taking part in the plenary session and discussion panels, contributing to the debate on collaboration between island states in safeguarding common ocean resources and on ways of cooperating around shared interests to ensure a peaceful and prosperous region for the future.
On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Bendito Freitas also held a bilateral meeting with Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, where he highlighted the importance and strength of the relationship between Timor-Leste and Australia. The Minister also emphasised that the two nations share a common history and values of democracy, support for human rights and international law. 
Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to Australia, Inês Almeida and the National Director for West Asian and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation accompanied Minister Bendito Freitas during his participation in the 7th Indian Ocean Conference.