East Timor's new Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta will this week make his first trip overseas as premier for talks with key regional partners.

Ramos-Horta's will head to Jakarta tomorrow for talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, before moving on to Kuala Lumpur for the Asean Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum.

Ramos-Horta, who was appointed premier earlier this month after previous prime minister Mari Alkatiri quit amid bitter factional fighting, said Yudhoyono had been the first leader to call hime after he was sworn in.

"When President Susilo invited me to visit I took up the offer as I wanted personally to express Timor-Lestes deep appreciation for the moral, political and humanitarian support given to us by the government and the people of the Republic of Indonesia throughout the recent crisis," Ramos-Horta said in a statement.

East Timor voted to secede from Indonesia in 1999 amid mass bloodshed and formally became a nation in 2002.

Ramos-Horta said he would discuss bilateral issues, including the commencement of a border pass regime and the completion of the two country's land border demarcation.

He also plans to meet with leading members of the Indonesian business community to explore their possible involvement in the economic development in East Timor, which is rich in natural resources.

Not yet Asean member

Ramos-Horta will then travel to Kuala Lumpur to meet his Malaysian counterpart Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to thank him for sending peackeeping troops as part of the UN-sanctioned foreign forces during the recent turmoil.

The prime minister will also attend the Asean Regional Forum, to discuss regional political and security issues and where he will sign his country's formal request for accession to the 10-member organisation.

East Timor has been a guest of the Asean Ministerial Meeting since 2002 and attended the group's Regional Forum last year.