On september 20th 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, met with the President of the Board of Directors of Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language, Florbela Paraíba, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York. The meeting took place at the Headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations and was attended by the General Director for Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Leoneto Mantilo, and the Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Timor-Leste to the United Nations, Jesuíno Alves. 
During the meeting, Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas expressed the solidarity of the Government of Timor-Leste with Portugal, following the recent forest fires that devastated the nothern and central regions of the country, as reiterated in the last meeting of the Council of Ministers. 
The meeting also discussed the Strategic Cooperation Plan (SGP) between Portugal and Timor-Leste for the period 2024-2028, with an emphasis on continuing portuguese support for Timor-Leste’s national development process, particularly in the education and justice sectors. 
Minister Bendito Freitas and President Florbela Paraíba also discussed the forthcoming official visit by Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão to Portugal , which is aimed at the strengthening bilateral relations and reinforcing areas of co-operation between the two countries.