KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Diplomacy took a sweet turn at the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits here when Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão started giving out sweets to media personnel covering the event here.
As the 26th Asean–Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit concluded, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão reached into his pocket for sweets, offering them to nearby reporters in a spontaneous gesture that drew smiles all around.
With his white beard and moustache, the 79-year-old Gusmão looked every bit the part as he cheerfully handed out sweets to outstretched hands, recalling the familiar generosity of Santa Claus.
At one point, a reporter asked him whether he could summarise the outcomes of the meeting as the summit entered the second day, Gusmão jokingly replied that the “one day with four, five, six meetings” made him “dizzy”.
This was not the first time Gusmão had treated the media, as he made a similar gesture during the 46th Asean Summit in May.
The 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits from October 26 to 28 are set to be among the largest meetings in the bloc’s history.
