The 43rd ASEAN Summit kicks off with a commitment to strengthening the organisation and a call for support for Timor-Leste’s full membership
The 43rd Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began on September 5th in Jakarta, Indonesia, which currently chairs the organisation. Timor-Leste is participating in the event, represented by Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. This year’s theme is “ASEAN Matters: Epicentre of Growth”.
At the opening of the summit, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, on behalf of all the member states, reaffirmed “the commitment to further strengthen ASEAN as a robust and agile organisation, endowed with enhanced capacity and institutional effectiveness to meet today's challenges and remain relevant to its people, the region and the world, while continuing to serve as an epicentre of growth and prosperity for the region and beyond”.
Jokowi also emphasised the need “to maintain and promote peace, security and stability in the region, as well as the peaceful resolution of disputes”, “following the principles (...) of international law”. 
Regarding Timor-Leste's full membership process in ASEAN, the ASEAN Chairman expressed his support, expressing confidence in Timor-Leste's ability to fulfil the established criteria. Joko Widodo “encouraged ASEAN member states and external partners to give their full support to Timor-Leste in fulfilling the criteria of the roadmap for Timor-Leste's full membership of ASEAN, through the provision of assistance for the development of human resources and any other necessary and relevant support”. 
The previous day, during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, highlighted the importance of Timor-Leste's full membership of ASEAN to “give foreign companies and investors confidence and security to invest in Timor-Leste”, which he considered to be “crucial for the growth of Timor-Leste's economy, for job creation and for modernising and transforming our nation's economic structure”.
The 43rd ASEAN Summit will continue until September 7th, 2023, during which the Timorese delegation, led by the Prime Minister, will hold bilateral meetings with the ASEAN Heads of State and Government.
The national delegation includes the Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of the Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, the Minister of Interior, Francisco da Costa Guterres, and the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Maria da Costa Rangel.
