Government of Timor-Leste

Following the Declaration of the Chair of the 46th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted in Kuala Lumpur on May 26^th, 2025, and the Government Resolution approved by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on May 29^th, which established an interministerial working group tasked with “completing the necessary formal procedures and accelerating negotiations on the main economic agreements necessary for Timor-Leste's full accession to the organisation,” the Government convened the first Interministerial Coordination Meeting on June 16. Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão chaired the meeting, held in the Noble Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. 

The meeting agenda included reviewing the decisions of the 46th Summit, taking stock of the status of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), assessing progress in implementing the Roadmap for Full Membership, defining negotiating priorities and the core negotiating team, presenting the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and identifying capacity-building needs, as well as considering the timetable for the next steps, establishing ministerial focal points within ASEAN sectoral bodies, outlining the overall budget allocation of the Government for the process, and preparing for administrative and logistical arrangements for the 47th ASEAN Summit scheduled for October. 

Through this initiative, the Government reaffirms its commitment to fulfilling, within the agreed timeframe, all requirements for Timor-Leste to become the 11th Member State of ASEAN.