Washington, July 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Timor-Leste is seeking Indian investment in liquefied natural gas, oil refining and education as it moves to deepen relations with New Delhi, the Southeast Asian nation’s former foreign minister and deputy prime minister has said.
Ambassador Jose Luis Guterres of Timor-Leste to the US told IANS in an exclusive interview that energy offered significant opportunities for Indian companies. Timor-Leste has oil and natural gas resources and needs investment in an LNG plant, refineries and a pipeline linked to the Greater Sunrise gas field.
The field holds an estimated five trillion cubic feet of reserves and could support about 30 years of production, he said. Guterres previously was the country’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
“All the areas. And energy is one area in which we encourage partnership from United States, from India, you know, from other countries,” Guterres said when asked where Indian businesses could invest.
“We are open for business,” he said.
Guterres said the opening of Timor-Leste’s embassy in New Delhi and India’s diplomatic mission in Dili should make economic cooperation easier. He also expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit Timor-Leste.
The ambassador said relations gained fresh momentum after President Droupadi Murmu visited Timor-Leste. He described her trip as “like a family visit” and said she was received with respect and warmth.
“I believe that this initiates new relations between Timor and Timor-Leste and India,” he said.
Guterres said Timor-Leste viewed India as a longstanding regional partner rather than an outside power.
“You are part of the region. You are not a foreigner,” he said.
The ambassador also praised PM Modi’s leadership and India’s role in maintaining peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.
“I have a great respect of Prime Minister Modi for what he has done for India and also consolidated democracy,” he said.
“But definitely you have a great role to play and Prime Minister Modi has shown already his leadership,” Guterres added.
He said India and the United States, working with ASEAN countries, could help preserve the stable environment needed for economic development. Disputes between countries should be addressed through negotiations, he said.
Guterres also highlighted education as an emerging area of cooperation. An Indian investor has entered a partnership with a Catholic university in Timor-Leste to strengthen medical education, and Indian students are studying medicine in Dili, he said.
Coffee could offer another opening. Guterres described coffee as Timor-Leste’s principal export product and said its organic beans were already sold to the United States, Australia, Japan and Germany. He said President Jose Ramos-Horta had promoted Timorese coffee during a visit to India.
India and Timor-Leste established diplomatic relations in January 2003. President Murmu made the first visit by an Indian head of state to Timor-Leste in August 2024, when the two sides discussed cooperation in digital technology, health, agriculture and capacity-building. Timor-Leste had also announced plans to open an embassy in New Delhi.
Timor-Leste became ASEAN’s 11th member in October 2025, after applying in 2011 and receiving observer status in 2022.
Source: IANS
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