Timor-Leste Hopes for Cooperation With Russia in Different Fields - Foreign Minister

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Timor-Leste is hopeful for cooperation with Russia on areas of education, agriculture, security as well as IT technology, Bendito Dos Santos Freitas, Timor Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik.

"I think maybe education, agriculture issues," Dos Santos Freitas said when asked about specific areas for expansion of cooperation with Russia. "Technology and science are very much important, also security and other issues that we need to consider but mostly education and technology."

Commenting on the current level of relations with Russia, the minister underscored that "we are living in one world with all issues and cooperation with all states is very important."

He also said Timor Leste foreign policy is based on the motto "no allies, no enemies, all friends."

"So [we] make use of all these relationships to better develop our country and we really want to also establish cooperation with all states," he said.

The foreign minister further indicated that Timor Leste sees oil and gas as one of the areas for potential cooperation with Russia.

"We have resources of oil and gas, Timor has potential, that’s the area where we can cooperate," Dos Santos Freitas said.

Dos Santos Freitas spoke on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. He noted that he did not have any meeting planned with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov there but underscored the importance of maintaining such contacts.