President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste José Ramos-Horta is on an official visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. A 15-member delegation comprising Foreign Minister, Principal Adviser, Chief of State Protocol and high officials of Timor Leste is accompanying the visiting President. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the President José Ramos-Horta at the airport, yesterday evening. The President of Timor-Leste was given a Warm Reception featuring red-carpet welcome and Ceremonial Guard of Honour, this morning.
The visit has historical significance given it is the first-ever official visit by any Head of State from Timor-Leste. The official engagements started this morning with the welcome call on the President by the Foreign Adviser Ambassador Md. Touhid Hossain.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, José Ramos-Horta held a tête-à-tête (one to one meeting) followed by a bilateral delegation level talk at the Chief Advisor’s Office. Both the leaders discussed wide-ranging issues on Bangladesh-Timor-Leste relations which included bilateral, regional and international issues of common interests.
Chief Advisor also briefed the visiting President on the July-August Revolution and the ongoing reform initiatives undertaken by the Interim Government towards a democratic and a just Bangladesh. President Ramos-Horta expressed his support to the Interim Government’s effort to build a new Bangladesh while appreciating the youth representation in the Advisory Council.
The Chief Advisor and the Timorese President emphasized enhancing trade and economic relations, acknowledging the potential for growth in bilateral trade. They also discussed working hand-in-hand to collaborate on microcredit and social business initiatives. Both the leaders acknowledged the importance of concluding Air Services Agreement between the two friendly countries. They also recognized the significance of cooperation in fields of SMEs, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Education, Capacity Building, Manpower, ICT, and Disaster Management.
The Chief Advisor requested Timorese President to consider extending Permanent Residency to the expatriate Bangladeshis who have been residing there for a long time address the difficulties of visa renewal.
Timor-Leste side assured its support for Bangladesh’s bid to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN after assuming full membership. Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus requested the President to support Bangladesh on the issue of the repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals at the ASEAN forum for their safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation. President Ramos-Horta expressed his strong support for an early resolution of the protracted crisis.
A Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) and an Agreement on Exemption of Visa requirement for Diplomatic and Official or Service passport holders were signed followed by the Delegation level Talk.
Following the MoU signing ceremony, both the leaders appeared before the Press to deliberate on the outcomes of their meetings and possible way forward to strengthening bilateral relations. Two Nobel Peace Laureates also underscored the necessity of global peace and stability; and urged the international community to take actions towards resolving the ongoing conflicts in different regions.
President Ramos-Horta is scheduled to attend Bangladesh’ 54th Victory Day celebration tomorrow. He will also deliver a keynote address on the Challenges of Peace in the contemporary world at a think tank in Dhaka.