Ramos-Horta to visit Vietnam

Ramos-Horta to visit Vietnam

VIETNAM: East Timor's foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta will arrive in Vietnam on Saturday for a six-day visit, the foreign ministry said here.

It will be Ramos Horta's first official visit to Vietnam since the creation of the East Timor state in May 2002, foreign ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh said on Thursday.

His trip will be an "opportunity for the two sides to exchange views and to promote bilateral relations and cooperation", she said.

Details of his program have not been released.

Vietnam and East Timor established diplomatic relations in July 2002 after Hanoi warmly welcomed the election of charismatic independence hero Xanana Gusmao as East Timor's president.

At the time, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien said diplomatic ties with East Timor were "in the interest of peace and cooperation" in Southeast Asia. -- AFP