Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

Diplomatic relations between Brazil and Timor-Leste were established in 2002, the year of that country’s independence. The Embassy of Brazil in Dili was opened the same year. The bilateral relationship is marked by cultural ties stemming from a shared Lusophone heritage. Timor-Leste is the only country in Asia and Oceania to adopt Portuguese as an official language and to be a member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).

Bilateral cooperation is the most prominent aspect of the relationship between the two countries. Brazil has provided Timor-Leste with support across a broad range of initiatives in key areas for the development of the Timorese state, such as the consolidation of Lusophony and of the Roman-Germanic legal system, justice and security issues, and workforce training.

Instruments covering technical cooperation, culture, defense, education, and partial visa exemption are in force between Brazil and Timor-Leste. The two countries established, in 2003, a joint commission to address topics on the bilateral agenda.

In addition to presidential visits, there is a large number of ministerial and technical visits. In 2015, then–Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira visited Dili, where he attended the 20th Ordinary Meeting of the CPLP Council of Ministers.

In 2018, trade between Brazil and Timor-Leste totaled $7.9 million, almost all of which corresponded to Brazilian exports.

Chronology of bilateral relations

1999 – Brazil sends 5 liaison officers, 6 police observers, and 19 electoral experts to monitor the referendum on independence (August)

1999 – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luiz Felipe Lampreia, meets José Ramos-Horta and Indonesia’s foreign minister, Ali Atalas, on the sidelines of the 53rd UN General Assembly (September)

2000 – The Brazilian Representative Office in Dili begins operations (June)

2001 – Visit to Timor-Leste by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (January)

2002 – Establishment of diplomatic relations (May)

2002 – Opening of the Embassy in Dili (May)

2002 – Visit to Brazil by President Xanana Gusmão (July–August)

2002 – Timor-Leste becomes the eighth member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) (July–August)

2004 – Visit to Brazil by Foreign Minister José Ramos-Horta to co-chair the 1st Meeting of the Joint Commission (February)

2004 – Presidential decree authorizes the deployment of 50 Brazilian teachers as part of a cooperation program implemented by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) (November)

2005 – Two public defenders and one judge are sent to Dili to assist in judicial training (September)

2007 – Visit to Timor-Leste by Foreign Minister Celso Amorim (December)

2008 – Visit to Brazil by President José Ramos-Horta (January)

2008 – Visit to Timor-Leste by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (July)

2008 – First mission of the Executive Cooperation Group to Dili (August)

2009 – Visit to Brazil by the President of Timor-Leste’s National Parliament, Fernando La Sama (September)

2011 – Visit to Brazil by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão

2011 – Visit to Brazil by the Secretary-General of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste (October)

2013 – Meeting between Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota and his counterpart José Guterres in Vienna, on the sidelines of the 5th Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations (February)

2013 – Creation of the Brazilian Defense Attaché Office for Timor-Leste, cumulatively accredited, based in Tokyo, Japan (October)

2014 – Visit by the Directors-General of Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to Paraná, focusing on conservation agriculture (no-till farming), supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (April)

2015 – Visit to Brazil by Timor-Leste’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Constâncio da Conceição Pinto, to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony (January)

2015 – Visit to Timor-Leste by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mauro Vieira (July)

2016 – Meeting between President Michel Temer and then-President Taur Matan Ruak on the sidelines of the 11th Conference of Heads of State and Government of the CPLP

2018 – Visit to Brazil by Timor-Leste’s Director-General of Water and Sanitation, Gregório de Araújo, as head of the delegation to the 8th World Water Forum in Brasília (March)

2018 – Visit to Timor-Leste by the Brazilian Federal Public Defender-General, Carlos Eduardo Barbosa Paz, to monitor the project supporting Timor-Leste’s justice sector.