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View all search resultsTimor Leste gets ASEAN nod as Myanmar inaction continues
ASEAN agreed in principle on Friday to admit Timor Leste as the group’s 11th member, as junta-led Myanmar continues to present stark challenges that have called the bloc’s relevance into question.
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) welcomes Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 20. (AFP/Kok Ky)
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SEAN agreed in principle on Friday to admit Timor Leste as the group’s 11th member, as junta-led Myanmar continues to present stark challenges that have called the bloc’s relevance into question.
After a two-decade wait, Dili has gotten the nod to become the newest member of the block, according to an ASEAN statement issued by outgoing chair Cambodia, which for now remains the newest member of the group.
The announcement indicated that there was no opposition within the bloc to Timor Leste’s admission – including from Singapore, a long-standing skeptic of the idea.
But until Dili achieves all the milestones set out in an “objective, criteria-based road map”, it will remain an observer at all ASEAN meetings and summit plenaries, the chair stated.
The road map, still under development, will be based on reports by a previous fact-finding mission to Timor Leste. Once Dili satisfies the requirements, which it is expected to do during Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship next year, it will become a member of the bloc.
“All ASEAN member states and external partners shall fully support Timor Leste to achieve its milestones through the provision of capacity building and any other necessary and relevant support,” the statement read.
The former Portuguese colony, which gained independence in 2002 from Indonesia after decades of occupation, is one of the poorest countries in the world but has been heralded as a vibrant fledgling democracy.
