(AseanAll) — Singaporean Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong paid on an Official Visit to Timor-Leste from 2 to 3 July 2026.
Lawrence Wong received a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace and called on Timor-Leste President Dr José Ramos-Horta on July 3.
Photo source:Prime Minister's Office Singapore
Lawrence Wong was conferred the Order of Timor-Leste (Grand Collar) by President Ramos-Horta in recognition of his contributions to furthering the bilateral relationship, including Singapore’s support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership.
Photo source:Prime Minister's Office Singapore
Lawrence Wong met Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, during which the two leaders affirmed the warm and longstanding ties between the two countries. They agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, development assistance, and people-to-people exchanges. The Prime Ministers also reaffirmed the importance of international law and the rules-based multilateral system, particularly for small states like Timor-Leste and Singapore.
Photo source:Government of TImor-Leste
Following the meeting, the two Prime Ministers held a Joint Press Conference to announce the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations.
Photo source:Government of TImor-Leste
Lawrence Wong also announced additional ASEAN-related capacity building programmes for Timor-Leste to support its ASEAN membership.
Photo source:Government of TImor-Leste
As part of strengthening economic ties between Singapore and Timor-Leste, Prime Minister Wong announced that Timor-Leste would be designated as an approved Non-Traditional Source country for Work Permit Holders with effect from the second half of 2027. This would allow firms in Singapore to hire Timorese workers on Work Permits in the Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process sectors, as well as selected occupations in the Manufacturing and Services sectors.
