The Government of Timor-Leste offered a plot of land and a building in the Farol neighbourhood of Díli for the establishment of the Embassy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, while the Government of Laos provided a plot of land in Vientiane for Timor-Leste’s diplomatic representation in that country. 

The handover ceremony took place on January 20^th, 2026, during the official visit of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Phongsamouth Anlavan, to Dili, between January 18^th and 21^st. It reflects the principle of reciprocity that has characterised bilateral relations between Dili and Vientiane.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio Hornai; the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Jorge Camões; the Director-General for Bilateral Affairs in Asia and Oceania, Elisa Maria da Silva; the Director-General for ASEAN Affairs; and other leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, as well as members of the diplomatic corps.

During the visit, Vice Minister Phongsamouth Anlavan highlighted the more than 20 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and considered the establishment of the Lao Embassy in Dili in the short term a concrete result of this cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2002, Timor-Leste and Laos have held high-level exchanges, signed bilateral agreements, and promoted cooperation between their peoples.

The Lao Government also praised Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN last year, emphasising that establishing embassies in Member States is mandatory within the regional organisation.

Currently, ASEAN Member States that have already established their embassies in Dili include Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar, with Laos in the process of completing its establishment. Timor-Leste has already established its embassies in the other ten ASEAN Member States.