KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — After more than a decade, Timor-Leste was today formally accepted as a full member of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean), becoming its 11th member and marking the bloc’s first expansion in over 25 years.
Timor-Leste’s admission was affirmed following 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) here today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Timor-Leste’s historic admission into Asean gave new meaning to the regional bloc’s vision of unity and centrality in pursuing growth that is both resilient and fair.
“Its place here completes the Asean family — reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship.
“Within this community, Timor-Leste’s development and its strategic autonomy will find firm and lasting support,” he said in his opening speech.
During the ceremony, Timor-Leste’s national flag was symbolically placed alongside the flags of other Asean member states.
After the signing ceremony, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão highlighted the historical significance of today’s development in his brief speech.
“Today history is made,” he said in his first remarks as the 11th member of Asean.
“For Asean, it is a continuation of a vision that truly unites a family of nations bound together by shared values, common aspirations and collective destiny.
“On behalf of the government and people of Timor-Leste, I extend our deepest gratitude to Asean member states,” he said.
Cambodia was the last country to join Asean before Timor-Leste, becoming 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.
Formerly known as East Timor, the island nation gained independence in 2002, making it Asia’s youngest country.
It is home to about 1.4 million people.
