The President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, and the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, attended the 56th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Day commemoration event held at the Philippine Embassy in Dili on August 11th, 2023. 
The ceremony, organised by the embassies of the ASEAN countries in Dili, was attended by the Vice Prime Minister, Francisco Kalbuady Lay, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Rangel and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
ASEAN was founded on August 8th, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, through a declaration signed by the five founding countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, Brunei Darussalam (1984), Laos and Myanmar (1997) and Cambodia (1999) have also joined ASEAN. Timor-Leste, currently an observer country, aspires to become a full member.
The Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, expressed his delight in participating in this celebration, emphasising the importance of ASEAN in building solid relations and stable cooperation for the future. The President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, stressed that “Timor-Leste is ready to become a member of ASEAN”. 
In his congratulatory message to ASEAN “for its 56 years of promoting stability, unity and peace in the region”, the Prime Minister emphasised ASEAN’s role in “promoting development and prosperity for the benefit of the region and its peoples”, stating that “Southeast Asia is now a dynamic economic power that looks ahead with great optimism”.