Visit to the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) in Timor Leste

From February 12 to 15, 2025, Prof. Roberto Ranzi, ASEA-UNINET President (till September 2025), Prof. A Min Tjoa, ASEA-UNINET Coordinator for Technology, Innovation and Sustainability for Europe, and Prof. Moh. Iqbal Djawad, ASEA-UNINET National Coordinator for Indonesia, visited the UNTL, in order to discuss with high-ranking university representatives this university’s inclusion into the network and thus future cooperation opportunities. The intensive discussions took place in a very friendly atmosphere.

The visit to Timor-Leste was also used for a meeting with the Austrian Honorary Consul, Stefan Hlavac. The political, economic and university situation in the country was discussed. Last but not least, a meeting took place with the Vatican representative in Timor-Leste, Monsignor Marco Sprizzi.

Another highlight was the visit to the very impressive Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum (AMRT). What should be highlighted here is Austria’s role in two meetings of the resistance in Timor-Leste against the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) in Schlaining Castle (especially the second meeting on March 19, 1996), in which most of Timor’s active leaders today took part.

At the 20th ASEA-UNINET Plenary Meeting in September 2025, in Brescia, Italy, the UNTL applied for membership was unanimously accepted as a new candidate member of the network.