KUALA LUMPUR - Backed by unanimous regional support, Timor-Leste is accelerating its push to become Asean’s 11th member by the end of 2025.
Despite a few remaining hurdles, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão said the country was on track and motivated by overwhelming goodwill from fellow Southeast Asian nations.
Speaking to reporters at the 46th Asean Summit, Xanana Gusmão shared that all Asean leaders were in support of Timor-Leste's accession to the regional bloc, reaffirming his country’s readiness to join the association after years of preparation and anticipation.
"We will try our best. We have already fulfilled many of the criteria, but there are still one, two or three remaining. We will complete them before the end of the year,” he said.
When asked if he was confident about meeting the Asean membership requirements by October, the veteran independence leader responded with enthusiasm.
"Yes! Because everyone supports us, everybody. It is incredible. You know why? Because we are a small country, standing alone there,” he added.
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, widely known as Tok Mat, voiced the shared sense of regional solidarity yesterday, highlighting Asean’s strong desire to welcome Timor-Leste into the bloc.
At the same time, he emphasised that Timor-Leste must take responsibility for driving its own path toward membership.
He said that Timor-Leste must work doubly hard to secure full Asean membership, including adopting the necessary guidelines under the Asean Foreign Ministers' (AFM) framework related to Asean's legal instruments.
Despite Timor-Leste not yet meeting all of the 84 required legal instruments, Malaysia has proposed that the nation be admitted as the bloc’s newest member.
Since gaining independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has strived to be part of the Asean community, geographically and culturally linked to the region. Its application for membership was formally accepted in principle in 2022.
Full membership would open doors for deeper economic integration, regional security cooperation and shared policy development under the Asean framework.