1. First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam visited Dili, Timor-Leste, on February 7 and 8, during which he held a meeting with his counterpart and paid courtesy calls on the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister of the country.

2. On February 7, Vice Minister Lim held a meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Roverto Soares and exchanged views with him on ways for the Republic of Korea and Timor-Leste to work more closely together on economy, development and the international stage.

° Vice Minister Lim brought renewed attention to the fact that the ROK government has rendered strong support to Timor-Leste over its independence and development since 2002, when Timor-Leste was in the process toward independence. He suggested that the two countries step up bilateral cooperation in the development of ports and other forms of infrastructure while continuing development cooperation.

° The two ranking diplomats, taking note of the smooth progress in bilateral development cooperation projects mainly in the fields of education and healthcare, agreed to expedite the conclusion of a framework agreement on grant aid for a stable implementation of development cooperation projects between the two countries, and to share the ROK’s development experiences through a pilot Saemaul Undong (new community movement) project.

° Vice Minister Soares noted with appreciation that the employment of people of Timor-Leste in the ROK under the ROK’s employment permit system is contributing to the economic development of Timor-Leste. The two sides agreed to seek smooth progress in labor cooperation.

° Vice Minister Lim, calling North Korea’s provocations and its nuclear issue a grave threat to the international community, asked Timor-Leste to take an active part in the international efforts to address the issue. In response, Vice Minister Soares expressed all-out support for the ROK on its efforts to resolve the issue.

° The two ranking officials agreed to hold the bilateral director-general-level policy consultation on a regular basis for more systematic discussions on ways to work together across the board.

3. On February 8, Vice Minister Lim paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Rui Araujo and Foreign Minister Hernani Coelho and exchanged in-depth views with them on ways to further enhance bilateral ties, including through new projects.

4. The visit to Timor-Leste by Vice Minister Lim, the highest official of the ROK Foreign Ministry to have visited the country since the establishment of diplomatic relations, came to mark the 15th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. It is seen to have helped enhance the friendly and cooperative ties between the ROK and Timor-Leste.


* unofficial translation