KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has arrived in Timor-Leste for a three-day official visit starting Wednesday (Aug 28).
The trip was aimed at strengthening the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He was welcomed at the Presidente Nicolau Lobato Airport in Timor-Leste by his counterparts, Vice Prime Minister I Francisco Kalbualdi Lay and Vice Prime Minister II Mariano Assanami Sabino, as well as the Malaysian Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Datuk Amarjit Singh Sarjit Singh.
"May this official visit further strengthen the diplomatic ties between Malaysia and Timor-Leste and facilitate economic cooperation and several collaborative projects on education that benefit both nations,” he said in a Facebook post.
Wisma Putra, in a statement on Wednesday, said Ahmad Zahid is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao.
He is also scheduled to meet with both of his counterparts.
According to Wisma Putra, the discussions are expected to touch on the status of Malaysia-Timor-Leste bilateral relations, cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the halal industry, rural development, and urban planning.
Ahmad Zahid is also scheduled to witness the exchange of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), including those involving Universiti Malaysia Sabah and the National University of Timor-Leste in higher education, and an MoU between Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) and Timor-Leste's Human Capital Development Fund (FDCH) on the mobility of government scholarship students from Timor-Leste to Malaysia.
He is also scheduled to officiate a Round Table Session titled “Positioning Halal as a New Source of Economic Growth for Timor-Leste,” organised by the Halal Development Corporation (HDC) on Thursday (Aug 29).
At the invitation of the Timor-Leste government, Ahmad Zahid will also attend the 25th Anniversary of the Referendum (Popular Consultation Day) of Timor-Leste at the Timor-Leste Parliament on Aug 30.
The official visit is expected to further strengthen the relations between the two countries and demonstrate Malaysia’s continued support for Timor-Leste’s aspiration to become a full member of Asean.
The Deputy Prime Minister is accompanied by senior government officials and representatives from Halal Development Corporation (HDC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), UniKL and PLANMalaysia. – Bernama
