Lisbon, Sept. 24, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese minister of foreign affairs, Paulo Rangel, met with his Timor-Leste counterpart, Bendito Freitas, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in a meeting where they reaffirmed the close cooperation between the two countries.

In a post on social media platform X, on Wednesday, the Portuguese ministry of foreign affairs stated that during the meeting, the two sides «reviewed the recent ministerial meeting of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) in Dili and strengthened cooperation between Portugal and Timor-Leste».

«Also in focus [was] Portugal's term on the UNSC (United Nations Security Council), which will begin in January with Portugal holding the presidency of the Council,» the statement read.

The meeting between Paulo Rangel and Bendito Freitas took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which is holding its 81st session this week in New York.

For Portugal, the UN General Assembly comes just a few months before the country resumes its seat, from 1 January next year, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2027–2028 term, to which it was elected with the highest number of votes ever received by a Portuguese candidate for that body (and, for the first time, in the first round).

Portugal, which ran under the slogan ‘Prevention, Partnership, Protection', has previously served as a member of the Security Council during the two-year periods 1979–1980, 1997–1998 and 2011–2012. On every occasion it has stood for election, Portugal has been elected.

DMC/AYLS // AYLS

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