Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister’s early arrival reflected the nation’s commitment to regional engagement, as it awaits progress on its ASEAN membership bid.
SEPANG: Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão could barely hide his excitement upon his arrival in Malaysia this afternoon, ahead of the much-anticipated 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
When asked by reporters whether he was looking forward to the “big announcement” expected this Sunday (Oct 26), Gusmão smiled and replied without hesitation: “Of course, I came for this.”
The special aircraft carrying Xanana and his delegation landed at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today, where Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil warmly received them.
His early arrival reflected the nation’s commitment to regional engagement, as it awaits progress on its ASEAN membership bid.
Timor-Leste first formally applied for ASEAN membership in March 2011, nearly a decade after gaining independence in 2002.
Since then, the country has been working to meet the bloc’s political, economic and administrative requirements for full membership.
During the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2022, ASEAN leaders agreed to admit Timor-Leste as as the 11th member, granting it an observer status to participate in all ASEAN meetings including the Summits.
At the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, leaders adopted a roadmap for Timor-Leste’s full membership that focuses on institutional strengthening, human capital development, and capacity-building support from ASEAN member states.
To recap, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim early this month confirmed that Timor-Leste will be officially made a full member of ASEAN on Oct 26.
Anwar said Malaysia, through the Foreign Ministry, is working hard to ensure that Timor-Leste is accepted as a permanent member of the regional bloc.
Separately, during a recent media briefing with international and local editors, Anwar expressed confidence that ASEAN would continue to engage and assist Timor-Leste, noting that the bloc itself had benefited from external support in the past.
“I am very optimistic that ASEAN, as a community, will continue to assist, just as we ourselves have benefited from the help of many countries such as the West, China, and others. I don’t think we should deny that opportunity to Timor-Leste,” he said.
The 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Oct 26 to 28 under Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship 2025 themed “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.
The summit will bring together leaders from the 10 ASEAN member states and dialogue partners including the United States, China, Japan and India, in what is expected to be the largest ASEAN gathering since the bloc’s founding in 1967.
Global leaders set to attend include US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This year also marks Malaysia’s fifth time chairing ASEAN, following previous chairmanship in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015. – Bernama
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