Honorable Dato Erywan warmly welcomed Minister Bendito and commended Timor-Leste’s active engagement in regional and global diplomacy. He reiterated Brunei Darussalam’s steadfast support for Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN and expressed his delight that Timor-Leste will soon become the 11th full member of ASEAN at the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October 2025.

Minister Bendito conveyed his sincere gratitude to the Government of Brunei Darussalam for its unwavering support throughout Timor-Leste’s ASEAN accession process, noting that the focus must now shift toward ASEAN post-accession. He underscored the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation by identifying concrete areas where Brunei’s strengths and experiences can support Timor-Leste’s institutional strengthening and human resource development—key to enabling the country’s active participation and meaningful contribution within ASEAN.

To ensure effective follow-up and tangible outcomes, Minister Bendito also proposed the establishment of a Bilateral Policy Coordination Mechanism to review, coordinate, and monitor the implementation of existing and future bilateral agreements, ensuring they deliver meaningful and practical benefits to both nations.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in education and human capital development—including scholarships—health, oil and gas, fisheries, investment, and trade.

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