Foreign relations of Timor-Leste

Following elections in 2012, leaders such as Xanana Gusmão and Taur Matan Ruak pursued a slightly more nationalistic foreign policy.

However, Timor-Leste has expressed its intention of gaining observer status to ASEAN in July 2002 and in 2006 it was considered six years to join.

For many years Australia implicitly supported the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, giving priority to the policy of maintaining good relations with Indonesia.

Australia led the military force that helped stabilise the country after it chose independence from Indonesia in 1999 and also after the internal conflict in 2006 and has been a major source of aid since.

Portuguese-trained Goan missionaries arrived in Timor-Leste in the early 17th century, and were influential in spreading Catholicism in the country.

A small community of Timorese nationals of Goan descent trace their heritage back to these previous generations of immigrants.

[76] Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah led a high-level delegation representing India at Timor-Leste's Independence Day celebrations in May 2002.

At the UN General Assembly in 2003, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Alkatiri announced his country's support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

[77] India diplomats Kamlesh Sharma and Atul Khare served as the Special Representative of Secretary General (SRSG) in Timor-Leste until 2004 and 2009 respectively.

India's DPR in New York was a member of the UN Security Council appointed team that visited Timor-Leste in November to assess the situation on the ground and seek feedback from the all parties regarding the withdrawal of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)'s and the situation in the country post-withdrawal.

Timor-Leste co-sponsored a resolution moved by India at the UN General Assembly in January 2015, to declare 21 June as International Yoga Day.

[77] At the ASEAN-India Summit 2023 in Jakarta, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement that India will soon opening its new embassy in Timorese capital Dili.

Being the only two predominantly Catholic nation in Asia, relations with the Philippines became very positive as soon as Timor-Leste was multilaterally recognised as an independent state.

From 1986, Portugal started to make the self-determination of Timor-Leste a major concern of its diplomatic policy, at a time when the occupation of this country by Indonesia was still a matter forgotten by the international community.

[96] After the shooting of José Ramos-Horta (former president of Timor-Leste), the Russian ministry said; "The Russian side expresses its concern over the attempt on the life of the Timor-Leste president, and hopes political stability in East Timor will be maintained, as a fundamental condition for a successful solution to the complicated problems it is facing.

[98][99] The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste set up an embassy in Singapore on 1 December 2010[100] During a meeting with his Timorese counterpart, Bendito dos Santos Freitas on July 24, 2023, Singapore FM Dr Vivian Balakrishnan officially announced to open embassy in Dili.