Side boys give honors to Timor‑Leste PM Xanana Gusmão aboard USS Bonhomme Richard during MAREX 2009, a multilateral exercise with Timor‑Leste and Australian forces. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Eva‑Marie Ramsaran)
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, paid an official visit to Timor-Leste on May 20 to attend the commemoration of Dili’s 24th anniversary of the Restoration of Independence.
Marles met with several high officials, including the President of the Republic José Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Defence Minister Pedro Klamar Fuik. He reflected on the enduring partnership between Canberra and Dili, stating, “Australia has an enduring defence partnership with Timor-Leste, built on shared interests and mutual benefit. Australia will continue to stand with Timor-Leste as close partners in defence and security.”
During the primary meeting, President Ramos-Horta praised Australia’s continuous support since the country gained independence. The discussion centred on strengthening the existing security framework, the New Partnership for a New Era (Parseria Foun ba Era Foun) and Timor Leste’s accession to ASEAN. Both sides also reaffirmed the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, a programme to facilitate Australian businesses to address labour shortages while supporting the economic development of participating Pacific nations.
Later that day, Prime Minister Gusmão convened a separate meeting with Marles, joined by Defence Minister Pedro Klamar Fuik and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Francisco Monteiro. During that talk, the officials underlined the practical dimensions of bilateral cooperation across defence, energy and development sectors. “We discussed the strong friendship between our two countries. Australia has closely followed Timor-Leste’s development,” Gusmão said.
The visit fell on a historic date. On May 20, 2002, Timor Leste achieved independence and became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century, emerging from nearly a quarter-century of Indonesian occupation. This occupation had followed the country’s 1975 declaration of independence from Portugal, which ended four centuries of Portuguese colonial rule.
Over the past 24 years, Dili and Canberra have built a close relationship. Canberra remains Dili’s largest defence partner, a bond rooted in the International Force East Timor (INTERFET)—an Australian-led peacekeeping operation with Australia training the armed forces (Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste, F-FDTL), delivered 146.6 million US dollar in Official Development Assistance (ODA) and cooperated on the development of subsea petroleum resources.
Marles’ visit to Dili highlights Australia’s commitment as a key partner in Timor-Leste’s security and development while reaffirming their shared commitment to Indo-Pacific stability.
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