The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced that East Timor had officially become the organization’s 11th member, ending an 11-year campaign for membership that President Jose Ramos-Horta (who won the Nobel prize for his fight for East Timor’s independence) submitted in 2011.
After regional leaders gathered in Phnom Penh for the ASEAN summit 2022, the ASEAN group announced by granting East Timor observer status at high-level ASEAN meetings. With this new status, East Timor could participate in all ASEAN meetings and summit plenaries until full membership. The following step will be the presentation of a “roadmap for full membership” at the ASEAN summit in 2023, which Indonesia will chair. Indonesia hopes East Timor can formally join the ASEAN family in 2014 after gaining independence in 2002.
According to East Timor ambassador to Cambodia, Kupa Lopes, who also came to the ASEAN summit, Timor-Leste is prepared to complete the work and responsibilities with the ASEAN Secretariat to fulfill the requirements for the roadmap and become a full member at the following ASEAN summit. Indonesia will examine it in 2023 and could be ready to welcome East Timor to the ASEAN family.
The youngest country in Southeast Asia, East Timor, became independent from Indonesia in 2002 after a 24-year occupation. A massive market like ASEAN for East Timor would undoubtedly provide a much-needed economic boost for the people of Timor-Leste.
East Timor, a nation of 1.3 million people, celebrated 20 years of independence this year and has been depending on its diminishing oil and gas reserves. For years, it has struggled with periods of instability, political rebirth, and difficulty diversifying its economy. Therefore, the future of Timor Leste depended heavily on regional integration, ASEAN membership, and close ties with Australia and Indonesia.
Since its founding in 1967, ASEAN has gradually expanded from its initial five members. With the new admission, East Timor will replace Cambodia as the most recent member. Being a member of ASEAN would improve Timorese citizens’ access to higher-quality education and employment opportunities and expand his nation’s diplomatic ties with ASEAN.
