DILI, Timor-Leste: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make his first official visit to Timor-Leste from Thursday (Jul 2) to Friday, marking the first visit by a Singapore prime minister to Southeast Asia's newest ASEAN member.Mr Wong, who is also finance minister, will attend a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in the capital Dili before meeting President Jose Ramos-Horta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Wednesday.He will also meet Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and Timor-Leste. Mr Gusmao will host a state banquet lunch in his honour.The visit reciprocates Mr Gusmao's official visit to Singapore in July last year, said MFA.
Dr Ramos-Horta will present Mr Wong with the Order of Timor-Leste (Grand Collar), the country's highest honour, in recognition of Singapore's contributions to Timor-Leste's national development and its support for the country's accession to ASEAN.Timor-Leste formally applied to join ASEAN in 2011 and became the regional bloc's 11th member in October 2025.
Timor-Leste and Singapore national flags being set up in front of the Government Palace and Parliament in Dili, Timor-Leste on Jul 1, 2026, ahead of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s visit. (Photo: CNA/Justin Ong)
