The Minister of Trade and Industry, Nino Pereira, took part in the 31st Retreat of Economic Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which took place between February 26th and 28th, 2025, in the city of Johor, Malaysia.
This year’s edition was held under the rotating chairmanship of Malaysia, which will lead ASEAN in 2025 with the motto “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, focussing on promoting inclusive and resilient economic growth. The aim is to ensure that all member states benefit from shared prosperity, while strengthening the region’s capacity to face global challenges.
During the meeting, the ASEAN Economy Ministers discussed priority issues such as updating the negotiation process for the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), progress on the implementation of the ASEAN Digital Economy Agreement (ASEAN DEFA), the integration of Timor-Leste into the organisation, the priorities of the Malaysian presidency and the strategic plan for the Economic Pillar for the period 2026 to 2030, within the framework of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
Representing Timor-Leste, Minister Nino Pereira emphasised the country’s commitment to meeting the accession criteria, particularly in the Economic Pillar, reiterating the national commitment to the principles of ASEAN and to strengthening regional cooperation. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Timorese leader met with the Secretary General of ASEAN, Kao Kim Hourn, with whom he exchanged views on the next steps in Timor-Leste’s accession process. According to Nino Pereira, “the open and constructive dialogue with the ASEAN Secretariat reinforces our determination to make Timor-Leste an effective and active member of the regional community”.
The Minister also held a bilateral meeting with the Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, in which the priorities of the Malaysian chairmanship in supporting Timor-Leste’s accession were discussed. The Malaysian leader assured that “Malaysia will continue to provide political and technical support to Timor-Leste so that it can fully integrate into ASEAN as early as 2025”.