Anne-Marie Trevelyan made the announcement after a lengthy meeting with Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao at the Government Palace in Dili.

“The UK is committed to building stronger long-term partnerships in the Indo Pacific to support maritime and economic security, using our global diplomatic network to support these relationships,” Trevelyan said in statement.

“By sharing expertise, increasing maritime resilience, and looking to expand our diplomatic presence to Timor-Leste, the UK is working to safeguard long-term global security and prosperity,” she said.

No details about when the embassy will open were provided.

Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Gusmao welcomed the decision, saying it reflected the UK’s commitment to supporting development in Timor-Leste, and in particular areas of health, nutrition and education.

The Minister has been in Dili twice since September 2023, when she was the first member of a UK government to visit Timor-Leste since independence in 2002, reflecting the UK’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific Region.

The UK first established a diplomatic mission in Dili in 2000.

The UK continues to have one of Timor-Leste’s largest expat communities, with an estimated 30,000 Timorese citizens living there with residence status, according to government data.