𝐷𝑖𝑙𝑖, 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑟-𝐿𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒, 1 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 2026

His Excellency Francisco da Costa Monteiro, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, met with His Excellency Fairuz Rozali, the newly appointed Ambassador of Malaysia to Timor-Leste, for a courtesy meeting to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the energy and natural resources sectors.

Minister Monteiro congratulated Ambassador Fairuz Rozali on his appointment and expressed Timor-Leste’s appreciation for Malaysia’s longstanding friendship and strong support throughout Timor-Leste’s journey towards ASEAN membership. Minister Monteiro highlighted the importance of building on this relationship through greater cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest.

Discussions focused on opportunities for cooperation in the oil and gas and minerals sectors, including greater engagement with Malaysian companies, technical cooperation, human capital development and technology transfer. Minister Monteiro highlighted the valuable experience and expertise of Malaysia's energy industry, and expressed Timor-Leste's interest in expanding opportunities for national technicians to undertake practical training and gain experience within Malaysia's established energy industry.

Minister Monteiro also provided an overview of Timor-Leste's ongoing petroleum and downstream development priorities, including Greater Sunrise, Bayu-Undan, other offshore and onshore petroleum activities, and the Tasi Mane Project. Minister Monteiro emphasised Timor-Leste's objective of progressively transforming its natural resources into a foundation for industrialisation, economic diversification and long-term national development.

Minister Monteiro welcomed greater participation by Malaysian companies in Timor-Leste's energy and minerals sectors and expressed the Ministry's commitment to continuing close engagement with the Malaysian Embassy and relevant Malaysian institutions to identify practical areas for future cooperation.