Marcos vows PH continuing support for Timor Leste’s full membership in ASEAN

JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reiterated on Tuesday the Philippines’ support for Timor Leste’s full membership in the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“I also would like to welcome the Prime Minister of Timor Leste, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão. And allow me to express once again the continuing support of the Philippines for your eventual full membership in ASEAN,” Marcos said in his intervention at the plenary session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia.

In 2015, the Philippines reaffirmed its support for Timor Leste’s application to ASEAN as its 11th member state.

Timor Leste, also known as East Timor, gained its independence from Indonesia on May 20, 2002. Before Indonesia took over, East Timor was a colony of Portugal for centuries until November 1975.

Timor Leste has long sought for ASEAN membership, but the bloc’s members, which decides by consensus, have failed over the years to reach an agreement on whether or not it could accommodate the request.

In 2022, the ASEAN leaders agreed to allow East Timor to join the 10-nation ASEAN regional bloc and granted the country an observer status. East Timor was also granted the right to attend ASEAN meeting and summit sessions.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/world/851109/east-timor-gets-the-nod-to-join-asean-grouping/story/

In an article published last August 7, the Jakarta Globe reported that Timor Leste will “ideally” become a full-fledged ASEAN member in 2025.

“I and the Prime Minister have agreed that [Timor Leste’s full ASEAN membership] would ideally occur in 2025,” Timor Leste José Ramos-Horta was quoted in the report as saying.

“ASEAN leaders may decide some other time or year. Maybe in 2024, and we would obviously go along with it. If it were to occur in 2025, it would mean we have two solid years to build on the progress that we have made under the roadmap to be better [prepared] as a full-fledged member,” Ramos-Horta said. — Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA Integrated News