Government of Timor-Leste

Preparations for the 46th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), scheduled for May in Kuala Lumpur under Malaysia's rotating chairmanship, have placed special emphasis on the process of Timor-Leste's full membership in the regional organisation. In this context, the Secretary General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, recently met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Indonesia to discuss key issues on ASEAN's political and strategic agenda for 2025. 

On March 20^th, in Putrajaya, the Secretary-General was welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Chairman of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings (AMM), Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan. During the meeting, the joint commitment to strengthen the ASEAN community-building process was reaffirmed, in line with the priorities of the Malaysian presidency. The agenda included the impending adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its respective Strategic Plans, as well as the implementation of Timor-Leste's Roadmap to Full Membership. 

On March 25^th in Jakarta, Kao Kim Hourn met with Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiono, where he once again reinforced ASEAN's commitment to the integration of Timor-Leste. According to a statement published on ASEAN's official website, the meeting addressed “several key issues of importance to ASEAN, particularly in the run-up to the 46th ASEAN Summit in May 2025, including the planned adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans, Timor-Leste's full membership in ASEAN, as well as ASEAN's external relations”.

The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat's commitment to supporting the Malaysian Chairmanship and all member states in preparation for the 46th ASEAN Summit and the 58th ASEAN Minister of Foreign Affairs Meeting, scheduled for May and July, respectively, in Kuala Lumpur.

Recently, during the launch of the national campaign “Dalan ba ASEAN”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas emphasised that “joining ASEAN is a strategic national objective” and represents an “unwavering commitment to regional integration, cooperation, and collective prosperity”.