By R.Vikneswaran and Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- Timor-Leste’s long-awaited entry into ASEAN marks a historic milestone for the nation of 1.4 million people after more than a decade of persistent efforts, said its Foreign Minister, Bendito dos Santos Freitas.
He said ASEAN membership will give Dili a stronger voice in regional politics, diplomacy and foreign affairs.
“So we are becoming more together as a region and as a family member of ASEAN. We thank Malaysia, as the 2025 ASEAN Chair, for its support, as well as other member states,” he told Bernama after attending the 37th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) Meeting here today.
Calling it a “victory for the people”, Bendito said the achievement symbolises the culmination of the country’s five-decade struggle for self-determination.
“It is very important. This is after 50 years for us -- where we struggled for our freedom. And this is not a gift, but truly a long journey to conquer,” he said.
“Today we get it. This is a victory for us, for our people, and also for the ASEAN family.”
Earlier today, Timor-Leste deposited its Instruments of Accession to the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), fulfilling the key legal steps for admission as the bloc’s 11th member.
Timor-Leste will be formally welcomed as a full member with the signing of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN during the opening of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) tomorrow.
The last country to join ASEAN before Timor-Leste was Cambodia, which became the 10th member on April 30, 1999.
Timor-Leste, which gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 following a 1999 UN-supervised referendum, applied for ASEAN membership in 2011.
In November 2022, ASEAN leaders agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste and granted it observer status along with a roadmap toward full membership.
-- BERNAMA
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