The Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, Winston Raymond Peters, was on an official visit to Timor-Leste on June 12^th, 2024, and was welcomed by the Acting Prime Minister and Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister for Tourism and Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, to discuss cooperation between the two countries. 

During the joint press conference held in the Ministry of Tourism and Environment premises, the acting Prime Minister said it was “a great honour to have the opportunity to welcome the Vice Prime Minister of New Zealand”, a country that “has always been an excellent friend, contributing and supporting us during our struggle for independence and, later, in building our country”, with support “in various areas such as education, human resources training, as well as defence, among others”. 

The New Zealand Vice Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, emphasising “New Zealand’s continued commitment to supporting Timor-Leste’s economy, especially through rural development, education and tourism”. Winston Peters also congratulated Timor-Leste on its accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and reinforced New Zealand’s support for Timor-Leste’s membership of ASEAN. 

Winston Peters also met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, and the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Rangel, to discuss bilateral cooperation on various fronts.

The New Zealand Vice Prime Minister was also welcomed by the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, with whom he met and discussed a range of regional and global issues.