East Timor could join Asean bloc by October: minister

[KUALA LUMPUR] East Timor is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the South-east Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia’s foreign minister said on Sunday (May 25).

Mohamad Hasan said on the sidelines ahead of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Kuala Lumpur that Dili “has made meaningful progress in implementing a roadmap” for it to join.

East Timor is one of the world’s poorest countries and some concerns remain around whether it could participate meaningfully in Asean’s development agenda.

However, the bloc’s foreign ministers voiced “strong support for Timor-Leste’s full membership in Asean, particularly in its efforts to fulfil the remaining criteria”, Mohamad told a news conference, using the country’s Portuguese name.

The top Malaysian diplomat did not give details on issues still outstanding but full membership could be granted at Asean’s next regional meeting in October, chaired this year by Malaysia.

Asean member states will “now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedure with a view to finalise Timor-Leste’s accession process by the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in October, hopefully”, Mohamad said.

East Timor is the youngest country in South-east Asia, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation.

Its president, Jose Ramos-Horta, has long campaigned for Asean membership and an application was first submitted by the former Portuguese colony of around 1.3 million people in 2011.

Dili was granted observer status to the regional body in 2022 but its full membership has been delayed by various challenges.

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East Timor is grappling with high levels of inequality, malnourishment and unemployment and remains heavily reliant on oil, with little diversification into other sectors.

It also faces challenges in infrastructure development and human resource capacity, seen as critical for effective participation in Asean’s economic community.