Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Malaysia has contributed 100,000 USD in total to the Timor-Leste unit at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a goal to expedite and assist the country’s permanent ASEAN membership.
The Star Newspaper quoted Malaysian Foreign Minister Seri Mohamad Hasan as reporting on February 6 that as the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2025, Malaysia will ensure that this issue will be a priority in meetings, including the ASEAN Summit.
The country will spearhead efforts to expedite the implementation of the plan, specifically the 88 legal instruments and the ASEAN agreement that Timor-Leste needs to fulfil.
In a meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Malaysia suggested that Timor-Leste should achieve between 20% and 30% of the total requirements to continue the accession process.
Timor-Leste was recognised as an ASEAN observer state and joined the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2005 before officially applying for membership on March 4, 2011.
In 2022, ASEAN leaders gathered at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and agreed in principle for Timor-Leste to become the bloc’s 11th member.
It has also been granted observer status to participate in all ASEAN meetings, including plenary sessions./.
