East Timor–Philippines relations

East Timor - Philippines relations

Timor-Leste	Philippines

East Timor–Philippines relations refer to foreign relations between East Timor and the Philippines. The Philippines was actively involved in the United Nations peacekeeping forces in East Timor during its move towards independence. When several nations recognized East Timor's sovereignty, the Philippines began official diplomatic relations between the two governments with the establishment of an embassy in Dili and East Timor established its embassy in Manila.

The Philippines has maintained strong ties with the newly born independent country sending peacekeepers to the country since 1999 amid its struggle for independence from Indonesia.

Country comparison

Official Name	Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste	Republic of the Philippines
Coat of Arms
Flag
Population	1,167,242	100,981,437
Area	15,410 km2 (5,950 sq mi)	343,448 km2 (132,606 sq mi)
Population Density	78/km2 (200/sq mi)	125/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zones	1	1
Capital	Dili	Manila
Largest City	Dili – 222,323	Quezon City – 2,936,116
Government	Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
Established	28 November 1975 (Declared) 20 May 2002 (Restored)	12 June 1898 (Declared) 4 July 1946 (Recognized)
Predecessor States	Portuguese Colonial Period (1702–1975) Portuguese Timor (1702–1975) Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (1975) Indonesian Occupation Period (1975-1999) Timor Timur (1975-1999) Transitional Period (1999-2002) Transitional Administration in East Timor (1999-2002) Post-Colonial Period (2002-present)  Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (2002-present)	Spanish Colonial Period (1521-1898) Spanish East Indies (1565-1898) American Colonial Period (1898-1946) Military Government of the Philippine Islands (1898-1902)  Philippine Republic (1899-1902) Insular Government of the Philippine Islands (1902-1935) Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935-1946) Post-Colonial Period (1946-present)  Republic of the Philippines (1946-present)
First Leader	Francisco Xavier do Amaral	Emilio Aguinaldo
Head of State	President: Francisco Guterres	President: Rodrigo Duterte
Head of Government	Vice President: Rui Maria de Araújo
Legislature	National Parliament	Congress
Official languages	Tetum, Portuguese	Filipino, Philippine English
GDP (nominal)	US$2,498 billion ($3,330 per capita)	US$811.726 billion (7,846 per capita)

Relations

In 2008, East Timor and the Philippines signed three agreements to boost cooperation on marine and fisheries, education and foreign service training. Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Former East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta witnessed the signing of the pacts during their bilateral meeting. The Philippines has pledged increased commerce and trade with East Timor and has also sought to cultivate cultural and educational exchanges.^[1] In 2010, when newly elected President Benigno Aquino III sworn in office, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta expects stronger trade and diplomatic relations with the Philippines under his administration.^[2] East Timor Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres held bilateral talks with his counterpart Albert del Rosario and met with President Benigno Aquino III during his stay in Manila.

The Philippines, one of two predominantly Christian countries in Asia, is the strongest voice in ASEAN for Timor-Leste's ASEAN membership bid.^[3] The majority of Filipinos perceive a favorable response to East Timorese and are supportive of Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN since its application.

Military aid

The Philippines offered to help East Timor military to improve its capability through education and training through the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. AFP Spokesperson Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos mentioned:

"Since East Timor is a very young nation with a newly-organized defense force, the Armed Forces of the Philippines offered its assistance in building their military capability".^[4]

References