Hanoi (VNA) - Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has welcomed Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea’s wish to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as member states.
“We support Timor-Leste’s becoming a full ASEAN member as soon as possible—if possible, this year,” he said at the plenary session of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 26, as quoted by Indonesia's national news agency Antara.
“Also, we would like to propose the participation of a close neighbour of ours, that is, Papua New Guinea. They have expressed their desire also to join ASEAN,” he added.
According to the leader, amid the current geopolitical uncertainty, ASEAN’s collective strength is expected to improve the region’s bargaining position with the world’s major powers.
In terms of population, he added, ASEAN is on par with the European Union. In addition, ASEAN’s economic growth is also said to be the fastest in the world.
The bloc now groups ten member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Timor Leste, which currently holds observer status, is scheduled to officially become the 11th member in October this year./.
Timor Leste advances ASEAN membership bid
Timor-Leste is steadily carving its place in the ASEAN family, with several milestones already achieved under the official roadmap, said ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn.
