Singapore – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri To congratulate him on his appointment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a media release on Monday (Sep 25).
In a letter dated Sep 22, Mr Lee wrote to Dr Alkatiri: "Timor-Leste has made great strides since its independence in 2002, including through your personal contributions during your first term as Prime Minister, and later as President of the Authority of the Oe-Cusse Special Administrative Region."
Returning prime minister Dr Alkatiri, secretary-general of the Fretilin party, was inaugurated with 10 members of his 30-person administration at a ceremony in the capital Dili on Sep 15.
In his letter, PM Lee also highlighted "warm and longstanding ties" between Singapore and Timor-Leste.
"Our friendship and cooperation predates Timor-Leste's independence. As small states, we share many common concerns and interests and have worked well together bilaterally and at multilateral fora," Mr Lee wrote.
He added that Singapore remains committed to providing capacity building to Timor-Leste through the Singapore Cooperation Programme. Mr Lee also invited Dr Alkatiri to make a visit to Singapore. (CNA/am)