Government of Timor-Leste

On May 7^th, 2026, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, participated in the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) at the 31st Meeting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC), held in Cebu, Philippines, as part of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026 and ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit, which will officially begin on May 8^th, 2026. 

At the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM), participants exchanged views on regional and international developments, the building of the ASEAN Community, the integration of Timor-Leste following its full accession to the organisation, the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, and the future of ASEAN-led mechanisms.

During the meeting, Minister Bendito reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s commitment to contributing constructively to ASEAN’s common goals of peace, stability, resilience, and regional integration. He emphasised the need to translate the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 into concrete, people-centred outcomes. He advocated for strengthened coordination across ASEAN’s pillars, institutional coherence, and regional cooperation to address emerging challenges.

Minister Bendito also reiterated Timor-Leste’s appreciation for the continued support from ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat for the country’s full integration into the organisation. He further noted that Timor-Leste is developing a Five-Year National Roadmap to implement the ASEAN Economic Community Commitments for 2026–2030.

Regarding the situation in Myanmar, Minister Bendito reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s support for the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus as a framework for addressing the situation in the country and advocated a pragmatic, phased, and results-oriented approach.

At the 31st Meeting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC), the ministers reviewed the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Strategic Plan within the framework of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, as well as recent developments and ongoing initiatives in ASEAN's political-security pillar.

The meeting also addressed ASEAN’s efforts to strengthen peace, stability, dialogue, and cooperation, and to build the regional community in an increasingly complex international context and reviewed the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation’s (ASEAN-IPR) 2025 Annual Report.

Minister Bendito also attended the welcome dinner hosted by the Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro on May 5^th, which brought together ASEAN ministers of foreign affairs, senior officials, and the ASEAN Secretary-General.