Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (right) and Bendito dos Santos Freitas signed the agreement on June 27. - MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE: Singapore passport holders can soon enjoy short-term, visa-free travel to Timor-Leste, following an agreement inked on June 27 between the two countries’ foreign ministers.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Thursday (June 27) that the visa waiver agreement was signed between Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Timor-Leste counterpart, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, as part of the latter’s official visit to Singapore from June 26 to 28.
Under the mutual visa waiver agreement for diplomatic, official, service and ordinary passport holders, Singapore passport holders will be exempted from visa requirements for a stay of up to 30 days in Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste passport holders will continue to enjoy up to 30 days’ visa-free stay in Singapore.
“The agreement will contribute towards fulfilling the requirements under the road map for Timor-Leste’s accession to Asean, and strengthen the people-to-people ties between Singapore and Timor-Leste,” said MFA in the statement.
The road map was adopted on May 10, 2023.
Asean is now composed of 10 member states. Timor-Leste attended the Asean summit in 2023 as an observer for the first time, during which its then Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak pledged that the country would fulfil the steps needed to be part of the regional group.
Timor-Leste, Asia’s youngest democracy, gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. It immediately began the process of joining Asean, but formally applied for membership only in 2011.
Freitas called on Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on June 27, with both welcoming the longstanding and friendly ties between the two nations.
Wong reaffirmed Singapore’s support for Timor-Leste’s preparations to fulfil the road map to join Asean. This includes the Singapore-Timor-Leste Asean Readiness Support package launched in December 2022 and the Initiative for Asean Integration.
Dr Balakrishnan also hosted a lunch for Freitas, where they reaffirmed the excellent relations between the two nations and welcomed the set-up of the Singapore embassy in the Timor-Leste capital of Dili in April 2024. They agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as human resource development, trade and investment, energy and education.
On the afternoon of June 27, Freitas was briefed by the MFA Diplomatic Academy on the training of diplomats. - The Straits Times/ANN
