New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a warm welcome to the President of Timor-Leste, Dr Jose Ramos Horta, and his delegation to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. This is the first ever Head of State or Government level visit between the two countries.

The Prime Minister re-affirmed India’s commitment to build a vibrant 'Delhi-Dili' connect. Dili is the capital of Timor-Leste. In September 2023, PM Modi had announced the opening of the Indian Mission in the country. He offered assistance to Timor-Leste in capacity building, human resource development, IT, fintech, energy and healthcare, including traditional medicine and pharma, according to a PMO statement.

PM Modi also invited Timor-Leste to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

He congratulated President Horta for ASEAN’s in-principle decision to admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member and expressed hope for its attainment of full membership soon.

President Horta thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation to participate in the summit. He sought support from India in meeting its development priorities, particularly in the areas of healthcare and capacity building in IT.

The two leaders also discussed regional issues and developments in the Indo-Pacific.

President Horta expressed strong support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The leaders committed to continue their excellent cooperation in the multilateral arena.

The Prime Minister appreciated Timor-Leste’s active participation in the two editions of the Voice of Global South Summit. They agreed that countries of the Global South should synergize their position on global issues, the official statement added.