Government of Timor-Leste

Dili, Timor-Leste (August 22, 2019) – Four days following Timor-Leste’s grand celebration of the country’s 20^th anniversary of historic vote for independence, the small island nation will welcome the largest ever ASEAN Fact-Finding Mission on technical preparedness, on 3-6 September 2019.

The delegation – composed of the ASEAN SOM Leaders and the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) from the 10 ASEAN Member States and Officials from the ASEAN Secretariat – will meet with technical representatives from key government agencies as well as high-level political leaders, including the Prime Minister, the President of Parliament, the President of the Republic, and other key figures in the country.

The upcoming visit will be the first of its kind since Timor-Leste’s formal expression of interest in becoming a member of ASEAN in March 2011. Eight years after the application, Timor-Leste still regards ASEAN membership as a national and strategic priority. In fact, the move towards ASEAN membership has been led at the highest levels of the Timorese Government. The country has taken great strides in readying itself for the demands of a fully participating ASEAN member and significant progress have been made over the past few years, with the whole Government of Timor-Leste engaged in substantial work to ensure technical readiness.

As Timor-Leste now looks forward to welcoming the ASEAN Fact-Finding Mission, it remains optimist and continues to strive for a new era of integration and even stronger links with its near neighbours. The country looks forward to a pathway towards a smooth accession, for the benefit of Timor-Leste and the greater ASEAN region.