Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen meets with East Timor President Horta to discuss East Timor's accession to ASEAN

Hun Sen posted on Facebook that on the morning of May 8th, the Chairman of the Cambodian Senate, Hun Sen, held working talks with the President of Timor Leste, Horta, at the Presidential Palace in Dili.

During the talks, Horta warmly welcomed Hun Sen's official visit and called Cambodia a "sincere and great friend" of East Timor. He particularly thanks Hun Sen for his efforts during Cambodia's ASEAN rotating presidency in 2022 to promote East Timor's observer status in ASEAN, and appreciates Cambodia's continued support for East Timor to become a formal member of ASEAN.

Hun Sen reviewed the development achievements of Timor Leste since his first visit in 2016, emphasizing that the bilateral relationship has become increasingly strong after 23 years of development since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2002. He specially conveyed the warm greetings of Cambodian King Sihamoni to Horta, and stated that the high-level reception received during this visit is a reflection of the deep friendship between the two countries. He hopes that both sides will work together to further expand bilateral relations.

Horta highly praised Hun Sen's historical contributions, calling him the "liberator of Cambodia" and the "creator of modern Cambodia". He also expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by ASEAN to Timor Leste and hoped that Timor Leste would become a full member in the near future. Both sides had in-depth discussions on the prospect of East Timor joining ASEAN. Hun Sen pointed out through comparison that the current per capita GDP of East Timor has reached 1453 US dollars, far higher than the 281 US dollars when Cambodia applied to join ASEAN in 1999, which has created favorable conditions for East Timor to become a formal member of ASEAN.

At the end of the meeting, both sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern. Hun Sen officially conveyed Sihamoni's invitation to visit Cambodia and hoped that he would pay a state visit to Cambodia.