# Foreign relations of Timor-Leste

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
After the referendum on independence on 30 August 1999, Timor-Leste became an independent nation on 20 May 2002 and began initiating diplomatic relations with the rest of the global community.

## Policy

The foreign policy of Timor-Leste has been defined by its position as a small state surrounded by two much larger powers. Rather than formally aligning with any particular state or bloc, Timor-Leste has sought a diverse set of positive relationships. Upon independence foreign policy was shaped by José Ramos-Horta, who has previously campaigned internationally for East Timorese independence. Ramos-Horta was a proponent of Internationalism, and held sway until 2012. Following elections in 2012, leaders such as Xanana Gusmão and Taur Matan Ruak pursued a slightly more nationalistic foreign policy.$^{:14–17,20}$
Timor-Leste has pursued membership in a variety of multilateral forums, positioning itself as a reliable international actor. This promotion of international law is tied to the countries own security needs. Its broad global relations are shaped by its history, with its ties outside of its immediate region influenced by Catholicism, and by Portuguese colonial history. Regionally, its relations are influenced by cultural links to nearby regions, as well by the need to ensure security and independence in the light of the power imbalance between Timor-Leste and its neighbours, Australia and Indonesia.$^{:18–20}$ Upon independence, it sought membership of ASEAN, despite historical ASEAN support of the Indonesian position and cultural links with Melanesia that were part of the East Timorese identity.$^{:85}$

## Relations with specific countries and regions
### Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Timor-Leste is one of the only countries in Southeast Asia that is not a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, Timor-Leste has expressed its intention of gaining observer status to ASEAN in July 2002 and in 2006 it was considered six years to join. However, Timor-Leste has attended many meetings of ASEAN regardless. In 2007 Timor-Leste signed the ASEAN Treaty on Amity and Co-operation.

## Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Timor-Leste maintains diplomatic relations with:
Date :
| 1 | China | 20 May 2002 |
| 2 | Norway | 20 May 2002 |
| 3 | Thailand | 20 May 2002 |
| 4 | Algeria | 20 May 2002 |
| 5 | Angola | 20 May 2002 |
| 6 | Australia | 20 May 2002 |
| 7 | Brazil | 20 May 2002 |
| 8 | Brunei | 20 May 2002 |
| 9 | Colombia | 20 May 2002 |
| 10 | Cuba | 20 May 2002 |
| 11 | Czech Republic | 20 May 2002 |
| 12 | Egypt | 20 May 2002 |
| 13 | Germany | 20 May 2002 |
| 14 | Ghana | 20 May 2002 |
| 15 | Guinea-Bissau | 20 May 2002 |
| — | Holy See | 20 May 2002 |
| 16 | Israel | 20 May 2002 |
| 17 | Japan | 20 May 2002 |
| 18 | Malaysia | 20 May 2002 |
| 19 | Mozambique | 20 May 2002 |
| 20 | New Zealand | 20 May 2002 |
| 21 | Philippines | 20 May 2002 |
| 22 | Portugal | 20 May 2002 |
| 23 | Russia | 20 May 2002 |
| — | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | 20 May 2002 |
| 24 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 20 May 2002 |
| 25 | Singapore | 20 May 2002 |
| 26 | South Korea | 20 May 2002 |
| 27 | Spain | 20 May 2002 |
| 28 | Sweden | 20 May 2002 |
| 29 | Turkey | 20 May 2002 |
| 30 | United Kingdom | 20 May 2002 |
| 31 | United States | 20 May 2002 |
| 32 | Canada | May 2002 |
| 33 | Qatar | May 2002 |
| 34 | Bangladesh | 7 June 2002 |
| 35 | Cyprus | 12 June 2002 |
| 36 | Finland | 20 June 2002 |
| 37 | Indonesia | 2 July 2002 |
| 38 | Papua New Guinea | 19 July 2002 |
| 39 | Vietnam | 28 July 2002 |
| 40 | Cambodia | 29 July 2002 |
| 41 | France | 29 July 2002 |
| 42 | Laos | 29 July 2002 |
| 43 | Palau | 16 August 2002 |
| 44 | Fiji | 21 August 2002 |
| 45 | Vanuatu | 21 August 2002 |
| 46 | Chile | 16 September 2002 |
| 47 | Switzerland | 16 September 2002 |
| 48 | Austria | 20 September 2002 |
| 49 | Peru | 30 September 2002 |
| 50 | Belgium | 3 October 2002 |
| 51 | Slovakia | 17 October 2002 |
| 52 | Argentina | 11 October 2002 |
| 53 | North Korea | 5 November 2002 |
| 54 | Poland | 18 November 2002 |
| 55 | Maldives | 26 November 2002 |
| 56 | Tonga | 26 November 2002 |
| 57 | Romania | 20 December 2002 |
| — | Cook Islands | 2002 |
| 58 | Italy | 2002 |
| 59 | Bulgaria | 21 January 2003 |
| 60 | Hungary | 21 January 2003 |
| 61 | India | 24 January 2003 |
| 62 | Ireland | 31 January 2003 |
| 63 | South Africa | 3 February 2003 |
| 64 | Croatia | 5 February 2003 |
| 65 | Denmark | 12 February 2003 |
| 66 | Mauritius | 20 March 2003 |
| 67 | North Macedonia | 25 March 2003 |
| 68 | Slovenia | 3 April 2003 |
| 69 | Greece | 4 April 2003 |
| 70 | Belize | 15 April 2003 |
| 71 | Costa Rica | 14 May 2003 |
| 72 | Cameroon | 20 May 2003 |
| 73 | Malta | 20 May 2003 |
| 74 | El Salvador | 23 May 2003 |
| 75 | Mexico | 26 September 2003 |
| 76 | Ukraine | 27 September 2003 |
| 77 | Namibia | 1 October 2003 |
| 78 | Mongolia | 28 October 2003 |
| 79 | Iran | 10 November 2003 |
| 80 | Netherlands | 17 November 2003 |
| 81 | Iceland | 4 December 2003 |
| 82 | Kuwait | 16 December 2003 |
| 83 | Armenia | 23 December 2003 |
| — | State of Palestine | 1 March 2004 |
| 84 | Azerbaijan | 5 April 2004 |
| 85 | Samoa | 27 July 2004 |
| 86 | Nigeria | 2004 |
| 87 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 22 March 2005 |
| 88 | Lebanon | April 2005 |
| 89 | Tajikistan | 4 October 2005 |
| 90 | Venezuela | 5 October 2005 |
| 91 | Estonia | 21 December 2005 |
| — | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 18 September 2006 |
| 92 | Myanmar | 26 September 2006 |
| 93 | Republic of the Congo | 7 November 2006 |
| 94 | Luxembourg | 27 September 2007 |
| 95 | Dominican Republic | 24 October 2007 |
| 96 | Nicaragua | 2 November 2007 |
| 97 | Uruguay | 23 September 2008 |
| 98 | United Arab Emirates | 13 November 2009 |
| 99 | Cape Verde | 18 November 2009 |
| 100 | Monaco | 19 February 2010 |
| 101 | Montenegro | 24 September 2010 |
| 102 | Ecuador | 8 September 2011 |
| 103 | Andorra | 20 September 2011 |
| 104 | San Marino | 7 October 2011 |
| 105 | South Sudan | 13 October 2011 |
| 106 | Solomon Islands | 21 December 2011 |
| 107 | Georgia | 22 December 2011 |
| 108 | Tuvalu | 8 September 2012 |
| 109 | Haiti | October 2012 |
| 110 | Trinidad and Tobago | 24 September 2013 |
| 111 | Latvia | 27 September 2013 |
| 112 | Lithuania | 27 September 2013 |
| 113 | Jamaica | 27 September 2014 |
| 114 | Belarus | 1 October 2014 |
| 115 | Equatorial Guinea | 2014 |
| 116 | Saudi Arabia | 29 January 2015 |
| 117 | Pakistan | 27 September 2016 |
| 118 | Marshall Islands | 25 September 2019 |
| 119 | Bahrain | 27 September 2019 |
| 120 | Dominica | 15 November 2021 |
| 121 | Serbia | 20 December 2021 |
| 122 | Nepal | 11 February 2022 |
| — | Kosovo | 9 March 2022 |
| 124 | Oman | 30 March 2022 |
| 124 | Sri Lanka | 4 May 2022 |
| 125 | Paraguay | 18 September 2022 |
| 126 | Panama | 20 September 2022 |
| 127 | Guatemala | 3 April 2023 |
| 128 | Benin | 10 October 2023 |
| 129 | Saint Lucia | 8 November 2023 |
| 130 | Bolivia | 26 July 2024 |
| 131 | Uganda | 13 August 2024 |
| 132 | Jordan | 22 November 2024 |
| 133 | Togo | Unknown |

## Bilateral relations

| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
| Australia | | See Australia–Timor-Leste relations Australia and Timor-Leste are near neighbours with close political and trade ties. For many years Australia implicitly supported the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, giving priority to the policy of maintaining good relations with Indonesia. This policy was however changed in the late 1990s, when Australia began to support the UN. Since then, Australia has played a prominent role in the young republic's history. Australia led the military force that helped stabilise the country after it chose independence from Indonesia in 1999 and also after the internal conflict in 2006 and has been a major source of aid since. Australia has an embassy in Dili. Timor-Leste has an embassy in Canberra and consulates-general in Darwin and Sydney. |
| Brazil | | See Brazil–Timor-Leste relations Brazil and Timor-Leste are both Portuguese-speaking and relations are friendly. Brazil has a co-operation program with Timor-Leste, that includes a wide range of areas, including labour policy, justice, national security, culture, agriculture, education, governance, sports, environment and health. Brazil has an embassy in Dili. Timor-Leste has an embassy in Brasília. |
| China | | See China–Timor-Leste relations China has an embassy in Dili. Timor-Leste has an embassy in Beijing. |
| Georgia | | Georgia is represented in Timor by its embassy in Jakarta. |
| India | | See India–Timor-Leste relations Relations between Timor-Leste and India date back to the early modern period. Indian traders traveled to the island in search of sandalwood. Trade links increased after the Portuguese colonisation of Timor-Leste and portions of India. The Portuguese set up various garrisoned centres in India to carry out this trade, and all of Portugal's territories in Asia, including Timor-Leste, were governed by the Portuguese Viceroy in Goa. Portuguese-trained Goan missionaries arrived in Timor-Leste in the early 17th century, and were influential in spreading Catholicism in the country. Indians also traveled to Timor-Leste to serve as soldiers, colonial bureaucrats, and missionaries. Some Indians arrived in Timor-Leste in the late 19th century to work as migrant labour. A small community of Timorese nationals of Goan descent trace their heritage back to these previous generations of immigrants. India was the second country to recognize the independence of Timor-Leste. Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah led a high-level delegation representing India at Timor-Leste's Independence Day celebrations in May 2002. Abdullah presented letters of felicitations from the President, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Foreign Minister. Diplomatic relations between the two countries was formally established on 24 January 2003. At the UN General Assembly in 2003, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Alkatiri announced his country's support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. India diplomats Kamlesh Sharma and Atul Khare served as the Special Representative of Secretary General (SRSG) in Timor-Leste until 2004 and 2009 respectively. India's DPR in New York was a member of the UN Security Council appointed team that visited Timor-Leste in November to assess the situation on the ground and seek feedback from the all parties regarding the withdrawal of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)'s and the situation in the country post-withdrawal. Timor-Leste voted for India's candidature for a non-permanent seat during 2011–12. The country also supported the election of Poonam Khetrapal Singh for the post of Regional Director, South East Asia Regional office (SEARO), WHO in September 2013. Timor-Leste co-sponsored a resolution moved by India at the UN General Assembly in January 2015, to declare 21 June as International Yoga Day. Several high-level visits between officials of the two countries have taken place. East Timorese Vice Minister of Health Natalia D. Araujo visited Delhi to participate in the International Conference on Traditional Medicine for South East Asian Countries in February 2013, and is the first East Timorese government official to visit India. Finance Minister Emilia Pires visited India in May 2013 to attend the ADB Governors' Meeting. Hernani Coelho was the first East Timorese Foreign Minister to India. He arrived in the country on a two-day visit in 27–29 March 2016 and met with the Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister of State (VKS) and the Minister of Health & Family Welfare. At the ASEAN-India Summit 2023 in Jakarta, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement that India will soon opening its new embassy in Timorese capital Dili. |
| Indonesia | | See Indonesia–Timor-Leste relations Indonesia-Timor-Leste border in Mota'ain Despite the traumatic past, relations with Indonesia are very good. Indonesia is by far the largest trading partner of Timor-Leste (Approximately 50% of imports, 2005) and is steadily increasing its share. The East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee meets to survey and delimit land boundary; and Indonesia is seeking resolution of East Timorese refugees in Indonesia. |
| Israel | | See Israel–Timor-Leste relations Both countries established diplomatic relations in May 2002. |
| Japan | | See Japan–Timor-Leste relations Timor-Leste has an embassy in Tokyo. Japan has an embassy in Dili. |
| Kosovo | 10 March 2022 | See Kosovo–Timor-Leste relations Timor-Leste recognised the independence of Kosovo on 20 September 2012. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 10 March 2022. |
| Malaysia | | See Malaysia–Timor-Leste relations Malaysia has contributed to many UN peacekeeping missions on the country, such as one are the Operation Astute during the 2006 East Timorese crisis. Malaysia also has provided assistance to Timor-Leste in the area of human resources development through various training programmes and providing assistance to Timor-Leste in its nation building efforts. Currently, Malaysia has been consider by East Timorese as a model to develop their countries. Timor-Leste has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia has an embassy in Dili. |
| Mexico | 26 September 2003 | See Mexico–Timor-Leste relations Honorary consulate of Mexico in Dili Timor-Leste is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States. Mexico is accredited to Timor-Leste from its embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia and maintains an honorary consulate in Dili. |
| Philippines | | See Philippines–Timor-Leste relations The Philippines is one of the biggest contributor to the UN-backed peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste even before the Timor-Leste became independent from Indonesia. Being the only two predominantly Catholic nation in Asia, relations with the Philippines became very positive as soon as Timor-Leste was multilaterally recognised as an independent state. The two countries are now engaged in a growing commercial relationship, as well as cultural and educational exchanges. The Philippines is a vocal supporter of Timor-Leste's membership in ASEAN. On 6 June 2013, both countries signed three agreements in Manila concerning infrastructure development, defence and education. Both nations were conquered by the Iberian powers, mainly by Spain and Portugal, in the 16th century. |
| Portugal | | See Portugal–Timor-Leste relations The Casa Europa in Dili, the European Union's representation in Timor-Leste Embassy of Portugal in Dili Timor-Leste was a colony of Portugal for over 400 years. As a former Portuguese colony, Timor-Leste has a significant proportion of Portuguese speakers. Portuguese is one of the two official languages of Timor and it is a full member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. From 1986, Portugal started to make the self-determination of Timor-Leste a major concern of its diplomatic policy, at a time when the occupation of this country by Indonesia was still a matter forgotten by the international community. The diplomatic efforts from Portugal were able to achieve a growing international support, including from countries, as Australia and the US, that hitherto implicitly supported the Indonesian occupation. This efforts would eventually lead to a referendum and the independence of Timor-Leste in 2002. Other ties include connections between the National University of Timor-Leste and Coimbra University, and between the military forces of Timor-Leste and Portugal. Timor-Leste opened its first Embassy abroad in Lisbon on 5 July 2002 Timor-Leste has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Dili. |
| Russia | | See Russia–Timor-Leste relations Russia was one of the first countries to recognise Timor-Leste's independence and took part in nearly all UN aid programs, providing food and relief personnel, including civil and transport aviation pilots. After the shooting of José Ramos-Horta (former president of Timor-Leste), the Russian ministry said; "The Russian side expresses its concern over the attempt on the life of the Timor-Leste president, and hopes political stability in East Timor will be maintained, as a fundamental condition for a successful solution to the complicated problems it is facing. And in the interests of strengthening national unity and ensuring social and economic development." Russia is accredited to Timor-Leste from its embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. |
| Serbia | | Serbia is represented in Timor by its embassy in Jakarta. |
| Singapore | 20 May 2002 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 20, 2002. The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste set up an embassy in Singapore on 1 December 2010 During a meeting with his Timorese counterpart, Bendito dos Santos Freitas on July 24, 2023, Singapore FM Dr Vivian Balakrishnan officially announced to open embassy in Dili. |
| South Korea | | In 2023, around 3,700 East Timorese worked in South Korea. There are plans to increase cooperation between South Korea's island province of Jeju with Timor-Leste's island municipality Atauro. |
| Turkey | | See Timor-Leste–Turkey relations Turkey is represented in Timor by its embassy in Jakarta. |
| United Kingdom | 20 May 2002 | See Foreign relations of the United Kingdom Timor-Leste established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 20 May 2002. Timor-Leste maintains an embassy in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to Timor-Leste from its embassy in Jakarta; there is no British embassy in Timor-Leste. On 29 February 2024, the UK announced its intentions to re-open an embassy in Dili. The United Kingdom committed its support for the accession of Timor-Leste to ASEAN. |
| United States | | See Timor-Leste–United States relations Embassy of the United States in Dili The United States has a large bilateral development assistance program, $20.6 million in 2007, and also contributes funds as a major member of a number of multilateral agencies such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. The US Peace Corps has operated in Timor-Leste since 2002, but it suspended operations in May 2006 due to unrest and instability. Timor-Leste has an embassy in Washington, D.C. United States has an embassy in Dili. |
| Vietnam | 28 July 2002 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 28, 2002. Vietnam is accredited to Timor-Leste through its embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. Timor-Leste has an embassy in Hanoi. |