Singapore, May 31 (AseanAll)  — On May 31, 2025, The President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, J. Ramos-Horta, met with the President of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, on the sidelines of the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue.

During the meetings, Tharman congratulated Timor-Leste on its future ASEAN membership and reiterated Singapore’s commitment to continue supporting the country. 

In response, Ramos-Horta requested assistance in capacity building for Timorese human resources in strategic areas such as leadership, public policy, government administration, international trade and negotiation skills, in the context of preparing Timor-Leste for full ASEAN membership, scheduled for the 47th Summit in October this year.

The meetings also addressed broad economic cooperation opportunities. Ramos-Horta presented plans for the transformation of Dili’s port area with the objective of attracting foreign investment. He mentioned the interest of shipbuilding companies and a South Korean cosmetics manufacturer in establishing operations in the country, as well as projects in the livestock sector with the participation of partners from Indonesia, West Timor and Brazil.

Tourism and the blue economy were equally highlighted, with emphasis on Timor-Leste’s biodiversity and the country’s potential for activities such as hiking and ecological tourism.

Coffee production was another central theme of the conversation. Ramos-Horta highlighted the hybrid varieties of Timorese coffee, resistant to diseases and with unique flavors. Tharman expressed interest in serving Timor-Leste coffee at the presidential palace Istana.

The meeting ended with President Ramos-Horta’s proposal for Singapore to consider Timor-Leste as a destination for expanding its operations, citing, as an example, the feasibility of Singapore Airlines aircraft maintenance at Baucau Airport.