Timor-Leste May Become The 11th ASEAN Member This October - Mohamad Hasan

By Rohani Mohd Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- Timor-Leste is likely to join ASEAN as a full member at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He stated that a special unit has been established at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to expedite Timor-Leste's admission as a full member of ASEAN 

On February 6, Mohamad announced that Malaysia had contributed US$200,000 to the Timor-Leste Unit to assist and facilitate the implementation of the Timor-Leste Full Membership Roadmap to ASEAN.

He noted that Timor-Leste must comply with 88 legal instruments to be accepted as a full ASEAN member, 69 of which are related to economic pillars.

"I have requested the economic sector under (Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz to review whether the required instruments they need to comply with are still applicable or not.

"Many are no longer relevant. So, negotiations are ongoing to remove these instruments so that Timor-Leste does not have to address them," he told reporters during the Concorde Club’s "Santai Teh Tarik" session today.

Also present was the Chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai.

Mohamad stated that an agreement in principle has been reached, allowing Timor-Leste to delay full compliance with all the required instruments if accepted.

"In the near term, Timor-Leste will be required to comply with 30 per cent of the instruments first and be given three, four, or five years after becoming a full ASEAN member to gradually comply with and sign the necessary instruments.

"This is what we (Malaysia) are working on," he explained.

Timor-Leste is currently awaiting a consensus decision from ASEAN member states on its acceptance as a full member of the regional organisation.

The country was recognised as an ASEAN observer and joined the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2005 before officially applying for membership on March 4, 2011.

In 2022, ASEAN leaders gathered at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and agreed in principle for Timor-Leste to become the group's 11th member.

Timor-Leste has also been granted observer status to participate in all ASEAN meetings, including plenary sessions.

— BERNAMA