KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia granted an audience to Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão at Istana Negara today. The 30-minute meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim, Foreign Ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, and Malaysian Ambassador to Timor-Leste Datuk Amarjit Singh Sarjit Singh.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Xanana Gusmão arrived in Malaysia last night for a three-day official visit, marking his first trip since taking office on July 1, 2023. Earlier today, an official welcoming ceremony was held for him at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya, followed by a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The welcoming ceremony witnessed the attendance of Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, along with several Cabinet members, foreign diplomats, and senior government officials. During their meeti
ng, Xanana Gusmão and Anwar discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations and explored potential areas for cooperation between Malaysia and Timor-Leste.

Following the discussions, a joint press conference was held, after which Prime Minister Anwar hosted a luncheon in honor of his Timor-Leste counterpart at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya. In 2023, bilateral trade between Malaysia and Timor-Leste was reported to be US$43.7 million (RM196.7 million). Malaysia’s exports to Timor-Leste stood at US$43.3 million (RM195 million), while imports from Timor-Leste were recorded at US$0.4 million (RM1.7 million).