Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta speaks during a bilateral meeting in Malacañang on Friday, November 10, 2023. Photo from RTV Malacañang.
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that he was invited by Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta to visit his country.
During a bilateral meeting, Marcos thanked Ramos-Horta for the invitation.
“I thank you for the very gracious invitation that you have just extended to me to visit your country and we would certainly want to do that to, as I said, continue to expand the relations between Timor-Leste and the Philippines,” Marcos told Ramos-Horta.
Marcos said that the Philippines is supportive of Timor-Leste’s independence. The country, formerly known as East Timor, was under Portuguese and eventually Indonesian rule.
“The Philippines has always been very supportive of, not only the process of independence that East Timor went through, but also for your involvement in international relations and international events and issues that we feel are necessary for us to be able to come together and for us to be able to make a difference and to maintain the peace and the stability in our region, especially in these rather difficult times that we are facing,” said Marcos.