East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta has said that he would not allow a hostile or potentially hostile country to set up a military base in East Timor, having affirmed that his country’s “close ties” with Beijing pose no security threat to Australia.
This follows the signing of a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between the country’s defence ministers on Sept. 7 that will see Australia and East Timor increase defence and security cooperation, especially maritime. The agreement also aims at increasing the cooperation of the countries’ armed forces on exercises, training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
“We have a responsibility to our neighbours, to Australia, to Indonesia, to other southeast Asian countries not to allow Timor-Leste (East Timor) to be a base for any hostile power or power that is perceived by our neighbours to be potentially hostile,” Ramos-Horta told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)….