Hanoi (VNA) – Timor Leste Ambassador to Vietnam Joao Pereira has expressed his confidence that Vietnam will remain a key economic, political, and socio-cultural pillar of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's ASEAN membership (July 28, 1995 – 2025), the diplomat said Vietnam’s accession brought the bloc important strategic visions in economy, politics, culture, and social affairs.

Pereira said that although Vietnam’s socio-economic conditions were not as advanced back then as they are today, the country made a clear and strong commitment to being an active and responsible ASEAN member.

The diplomat noted that during the lead-up to its ASEAN membership, Vietnam strategically adjusted its foreign policy to align with the group’s core principles - non-interference, consensus-building, and regional cooperation. Three decades on, Vietnam has become one of ASEAN’s strongest pillars, he affirmed.

Ambassador Pereira, who has served in Vietnam for over a year, praised the country as forward-looking and visionary.

The diplomat described as Vietnam one of the safest countries in the region and among the fastest-growing economies. In the first half of 2025, Vietnam led regional economic growth with a GDP expansion of over 7%, in line with the target reported by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the National Assembly. This is a remarkable achievement, he stressed.

Ambassador Pereira highlighted the country’s rising global profile, noting that the United Nations will organise the signing ceremony for the UN Convention against Cybercrime in Vietnam on October 25–26.

Timor Leste, he added, hopes to learn from Vietnam’s development journey, particularly in areas such as integration, the perfection of its legal system, and alignment with ASEAN's Charter and norms.

On bilateral relations, Pereira said Timor Leste is eager to strengthen ties with Vietnam. President of Timor Leste José Ramos-Horta attaches great importance to this relationship, the ambassador noted, adding that the President has visited Vietnam twice during his first year in office.

Pereira expressed hope that more high-level visits would take place in both directions, along with increased people-to-people and institutional exchanges, which he described as strategically important.

According to the ambassador, the two countries are working to establish concrete cooperation mechanisms to further tighten their partnership. They have already signed a visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders. The two sides are now actively pushing for a similar agreement for ordinary passport holders, allowing for visa-free travel of up to 30 days.

Vietnam and Timor Leste are also accelerating negotiations on sector-specific cooperation agreements in education, trade, agriculture, aquaculture, and digital transformation.

Pereira underlined Timor Leste’s t⭕rust in Telemor - Viettel's subsidiary in Timor Leste, which currently provides telecom coverage to 96% of the country's population, viewing it as a strategic partner in the Timor Leste government’s digitalisation driv🎉e. He also expressed hope that in the near future, the two nations will ink several key agreements, particularly in the field of education./.