 "President Murmu’s state visit to East Timor: How the Delhi-Dili link is an emerging aspect of India’s ‘Act East’ policy")
President Droupadi Murmu’s state visit to Dili in Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, on Saturday, puts into motion the Delhi-Dili link at a high level. The first ever state visit by an Indian head of state to Timor-Leste happened within months of the first ever visit by the President of TL, Jose Ramos Horta, to India. He had participated in the Vibrant Gujarat summit and had met PM Narendra Modi.
East Timor became independent in 2002, and India established diplomatic relations with it in 2003. Timor-Leste has been diplomatically engaged through the Indian embassy in Jakarta. Now, after years of being a candidate member for ASEAN, TL has been admitted as an observer to ASEAN and will become a full member when it completes its accession road map. Meanwhile, India is now treating it as a fulsome ASEAN member. As such, TL has now become a part of India’s Act East Policy.
During the India-ASEAN Summit in September 2023 in Jakarta, TL participated in it for the first time, and PM Modi announced that India would open a resident mission in Dili. This is likely to happen this year. Timor-Leste, in return, is also likely to open a mission in New Delhi, perhaps over the next two years.
The visit of President Droupadi Murmu allowed a high-level engagement, which is quite unprecedented. TL, though rich in oil resources and reserves, has many problems often faced by countries that were decolonised and then went through civil strife. In this context, TL looks to India as a democratic, plural, emerging economy and values relationships, particularly in areas like digital technology, economic engagement, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, and skill and capacity development.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTL makes a choice in dealing with India under the South-South rubric, and therefore it has benefited from India’s engagement with small developing countries through the United Nations and India, Brazil, and South Africa (IBSA) funds. TL participated in both the Voice of the Global South summits convened by India before and after the G20 Summit in 2023.
There were several important gestures communicated by the Timor-Leste leadership towards President Murmu, showing how well they regard India. First, she was received at the airport by the president himself along with senior ministers. School children in large numbers welcomed Madam President by waving flags of India and Timor-Leste all along the route.
Secondly, the highest award of TL Grand-Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste reserved for heads of state was conferred upon her. Thirdly, Horta invited her to his own social media show, Horta Show, which is one of the most penetrative programs in TL. As a 1996 Nobel Peace laureate, Horta at 75 is a popular TL leader.
In this program, President Murmu recalled her life journey till she became president, showing how India’s democracy gave opportunities for common people, especially women, to attain high positions. She also spoke about the initiatives championed by her towards empowerment of tribal communities and advice to women aspiring for leadership roles.
Three MoUs were signed during the visit. One of these pertained to cultural cooperation, which will support exchanges of cultural groups. Another is to facilitate visa-free access by diplomats and officials of both countries. A third MOU will facilitate the exchange of broadcasting programs between Prasar Bharti and the TL radio and television, including capacity building.
Though the visit was bilateral, it will draw much sustenance from TL’s impending membership in ASEAN. This is because East Timor could now benefit from the India ASEAN Fund, which has a programme of action with a special focus on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of ASEAN. Already Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam have benefited from this programme, and Timor-Leste would now have additional avenues of stronger development cooperation with India through the ASEAN India fund.
Moreover, TL will soon be covered by India-ASEAN agreements, like the joint statement that India and ASEAN have had since 2021 on cooperation between the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo Pacific (AOIP) and the Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) of India, which will open avenues for the East Timor. TL could choose which pillar of the IPOI it would want to associate with. Australia being TL’s close neighbour and Australia and India both being Quad members, there could be greater coordination in implementing Quad-led initiatives in TL.
As an LDC, TL qualifies for duty-free quota-free access to the Indian market under the Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) scheme enunciated in 2008. However, India-TL trade is really small, about $4.5 million in 2022, and most of it is exports from India of rice, sugar, pharmaceuticals, and the like.
If TL was to provide a good investment ambience, then perhaps Indian companies would look to invest here and provide avenues for its exports to India and other ASEAN countries. The review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITGA) currently underway, which will infuse more regional value chains, should be looked at by Timor-Leste to harness its strengths and links with India.
The ASEAN-India Network of Universities (AINU) is envisioned as the knowledge ecosystem forged through the linkages among the premier institutions and universities in India and ASEAN. It can address the need for the region to develop a regional identity while promoting the fostering of ASEAN talents by creating a platform to allow the region’s leading higher education institutions to collaborate. This could be in the interest of Timor-Leste because its youth seek education. The likely investment by an India group to open a medical college in TL will give a fillip to the partnership.
During the visit, President Murmu met the Indian community, mainly consisting of high-placed professionals. The meeting was preceded by the Horta Show live, in their presence. President Horta asked President Murmu: How is it that Indians everywhere mix well with local populations? President Murmu said that Indians by nature were inclusive and immersive and saw different cultures as friends. They did not impose themselves on their hosts but engaged them on their values. The Indian diaspora present was delighted to hear such an accolade from the President herself.
The author is a former ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia, ASEAN and the African Union. He tweets @AmbGurjitSingh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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