During his first overseas visit after being sworn in as President of Timor Leste on 20 May 2022, the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, José Ramos-Horta, paid a visit to Universitas Indonesia (UI). On that occasion, he gave a public lecture to the academic community entitled ” A Long and Winding Road Towards Peace and Resolving Conflicts: Lessons from Asia’s Newest Nation” which was held in a hybrid manner at the Juwono Sudarsono Auditorium, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FSPS), Depok Campus and broadcast live via UI’s YouTube account on Tuesday (19 /07). President Ramos-Horta delivered a lecture on efforts to realize cooperation between Indonesia and Timor Leste, as well as Indonesia’s support in various fields of development for the country, including in the fields of education and human resources.
UI Rector, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., accompanied by the Dean of FSPS, Prof. Semiarto Aji Purwanto, along with the UI leadership, welcomed President Ramos-Horta along with other Timor-Leste Ministers and high-ranking officials, such as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Adaljiza Abertina Xavier Reis Magno, Minister of Transportation and Communications Jose Agustinho da Silva, Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry Jose Lucas so Carmo Silva, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pedro dos Reis, and Ambassador of Timor Leste to the Republic of Indonesia Filomeno Alexio da Cruz.
In his welcoming speech, the Rector of UI Prof. Ari Kuncoro said that UI’s relationship with the people of Timor Leste was very special. “In 2015 and 2019 we received a number of students from Timor Leste in master’s and doctoral programs in various study programs, including police studies, engineering, economics and business, gender studies, and so on. As an educational institution, we are very proud that UI is taking part in their life experiences as young talents who are shaping the future, not only for themselves but also for the relationship between Indonesia and Timor Leste,” he said.
Furthermore, the UI Chancellor said that education can be a supporting factor for a meaningful relationship between Indonesia and Timor Leste. “Let me take this opportunity to invite all of us here, to discover more about the areas where we can work together; fields that will benefit our nation from the point of view of research and education and cultural relations. Therefore, we invite colleagues from Timor Leste to conduct joint research activities with our researchers,” he said.
Prof. Aji, the Dean of FSPS UI, also said that FSPS UI has been and is ready to continue to contribute to efforts to build better relations between Indonesia and Timor Leste. He was grateful for Jose Ramos-Horta’s willingness to share his valuable insights and explain a bit of the history of FSPS UI’s involvement in building better relations between the two countries. “FSPS UI is proud to have students from Timor Leste who graduate from our institution and contribute to the development of Timor Leste and its relationship with Indonesia,” he said.
He also invited the audience to appreciate the achievements of Indonesia and Timor Leste in managing their previous conflict-ridden relationship. “We should be grateful that the two countries have succeeded in establishing close and friendly relations. This is a proud achievement for all of us, because in various parts of the world, past conflicts continue to hinder friendly relations and cooperation between countries. We must admit that the road to lasting peace is long and winding, as the title of this Guest Lecture suggests, but we should also be proud because we have succeeded in treading this path with a commitment to developing a better future for the people of both countries,” said the Professor of Anthropology. He quoted in his speech the phrase in Tetum that said, “Even though they are now in different branches, both Timor (Leste) and Indonesia came from the same root and tree.”
President Ramos-Horta shared the same opinion by stressing the importance of building better relations between Indonesia and Timor Leste. “There is no limit to developing cooperation with Indonesia, a very important country for Timor-Leste,” he said.
Indonesia is indeed the first country visited by President Jose Ramos-Horta in his first foreign visit.
“It is an honor to be able to return to Indonesia,” said President Jose Ramos-Horta at the start of his speech. After greeting UI leaders, invited guests, and participants, especially UI students, President Jose Ramos-Horta briefly described the close relationship between his history and his nation’s history with Indonesia, including his first trip to Jakarta in 1974. This Nobel Peace laureate tells the story of his struggle for the independence of Timor Leste and reconciliation efforts with Indonesia, then learns from that journey.
In the public lecture followed by a dynamic question and answer session with the students, the Nobel Peace Prize winner also discussed various things about the development of Timor Leste, the country’s relations with Indonesia and ASEAN, to his views on rising geopolitical tensions. Ramos Horta praised President Joko Widodo’s visit to Russia and Ukraine with the mission of promoting the spirit of peace and bringing an agenda to improve the state of the global food supply chain.
Ramos Horta also mentioned some of Timor Leste’s hopes for Indonesia, ranging from easier visas and increased investment from Indonesia to Timor Leste to encourage economic development.
President Jose Ramos-Horta arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday (19/07) at around 09.54 to meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java. During the visit, President Ramos-Horta brought up the topic of strengthening partnerships and establishing trade cooperation, immigration cooperation, and cooperation in the field of education, especially student exchange.
