Jakarta (VNA) – Ambassador Pham Binh Dam on September 29 presented his credentials to President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta, becoming Vietnam’s first resident ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation and marking a new step forward in bilateral ties.
At their meeting after the ceremony, Dam conveyed greetings and regards from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam to President Ramos-Horta. He said the two leaders' meeting in New York on September 22, held on the sidelines of the High-Level General Debate of the UN General Assembly's 81st session, built political trust and gave the relationship new momentum.
Dam pledged to work closely with Timor-Leste's agencies and partners during his tenure, aiming to make cooperation deeper, more substantive and effective, with tangible benefits for citizens and firms in both countries.
Vietnam is ready to share development experience and back Timor-Leste's integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly as it prepares to take the bloc's chairmanship in 2029, he said.
The two sides also agreed to further bolster consultation, coordination and mutual support at ASEAN, the UN and other global and regional forums.
President Ramos-Horta, for his part, welcomed the progress in the bilateral ties in recent years and said he is confident that Dam will help deepen the relations. He said Timor-Leste highly values Vietnam's development achievements and sees its experience as an important reference and source of inspiration.
He asked Vietnam to keep sharing expertise and supporting workforce training in Timor-Leste, including by considering more scholarships for officials and students in public administration, technical and agricultural fields.
On this occasion, the President conveyed invitations to Vietnamese leaders to visit Timor-Leste at an appropriate time.
The ambassador's arrival comes amid frequent high-level exchanges. The two countries established diplomatic ties on July 28, 2002, and Vietnam's embassy in Timor-Leste began operations in April 2026. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão made an official visit to Vietnam in June, and General Secretary and President Lam met with President Ramos-Horta in New York this month.
The credentials ceremony for Vietnam's first resident ambassador, coming ahead of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2027, gives the two countries a further basis to expand cooperation in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, food security, workforce development, digital transformation and people-to-people exchanges./.
