Visit of Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry strengthens economic cooperation with Timor-Leste

The Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Abdul Aziz, paid an official visit to Timor-Leste on January 30th and 31st, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation in strategic areas. During his stay, in addition to meetings with the Prime Minister and other members of the Government, Tengku Zafrul Aziz witnessed the signing of an agreement between Weststar-GAP Aviation, a joint venture made up of Timor GAP and the Malaysian company Weststar Aviation Services, with Santos, for helicopter transportation services to support petroleum operations.
The Malaysian delegation, also made up of the Executive Director of the Weststar Group, Tan Sri Dr. Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, was received at the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport by the Vice Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister for Tourism and the Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, and the Malaysian Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Datuk Amarjit Singh Sarjit Singh.
On the afternoon of Friday, January 31st, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão received Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz at the Government Palace, where they discussed opportunities for cooperation to boost national development, as well as Malaysia's continued support for Timor-Leste's full membership process in ASEAN.
As part of this visit, the Malaysian Minister attended the signing of a contract for the provision of air transportation services between Weststar-GAP Aviation LDA and the oil company Santos Limited. This agreement aims to support Santos' offshore operations in the Bayu-Undan region, through the use of two Leonardo AW189 helicopters for crew transportation and evacuation operations between Dili, Timor-Leste, and Darwin, Australia.
The signing ceremony took place at the Hotel Timor, in Dili, and was attended by the Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco Monteiro, the Minister for Transport and Communications, Miguel Manetelu, and the Minister for Trade and Industry, Filipus Nino Pereira. Also present was the Executive Vice President of the Australian company Santos Energy, Vince Santostefano.
Vice Prime Minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay accompanied Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and his delegation to Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport at the end of the official visit. Both governments expressed satisfaction at the progress made and reiterated their commitment to continue strengthening bilateral cooperation in key areas for the sustainable development of Timor-Leste.