President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday lauded the “very small but active” Indian community in Timor-Leste as a ‘living bridge’ for its role in improving bilateral relations and announced that India will soon open its embassy here.

President Murmu, who arrived earlier in the day, on the first-ever presidential visit from India to Timor-Leste, was speaking at an interaction event with the Indian diaspora in this archipelagic Southeast Asian nation.

Before this event, Murmu received the Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste, the country's highest honour from her counterpart José Ramos-Horta for her achievements in public service and dedication to education, social welfare and women empowerment.

“The Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste bestowed upon me is a symbol of manifestation of the warmth and special friendship between the two countries,” she said at the outset as she thanked President Ramos-Horta and the country for hosting her and the Indian delegation.

Underscoring the “unsurpassed importance of the Indian origin/Indian diaspora,” the President said: “The achievements of the Indian diaspora has been a matter of pride for India.” “We consider you as our living bridge. Each one of you is an ambassador of our great country. You represent India wherever you go. You have brought laurels to whichever field you have chosen with your discipline and sincerity,” the President said and added: “You have merged with the local host country very well.” “Timore-Leste has a very small Indian community but it has an active role in developing a bond of continued friendship between the two countries,” Murmu said.

“You are an important power, a carrier of our culture and help in increasing the harmony between the two nations,” she said.

“I am sure you will continue to work towards increasing harmony between the two countries,” she said.

Highlighting that Timor-Leste, a country which has won freedom recently, has a young and ambitious demography, Murmu said, “A lot of priorities and challenges of this country are similar to the shared endeavour of development and progress that we have in our country.” “We aim to continue our traditional partnership with the people and the country of Timor-Leste,” she said.

“In this endeavour, I am happy to share that India will soon open an embassy in Timor-Leste, which will be helpful to the citizens of this country and also to the people of Indian origin here for various services,” the President announced.

At the ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta on September 7, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the decision to establish an Indian Embassy in Dili as part of India's efforts to boost its relations with the 10-member regional grouping.

Currently, people travelling from Timor-Leste to India have to get a visa from the Indian Embassy in Indonesia.

She listed India’s developmental paradigm, the strides that India has made in multiple sectors and how it was successful in bringing the voice of Global South to the G20 platform among other issues.

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