ASEAN Leaders to Decide on Timor-Leste’s ASEAN Membership 

Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Kung Phoak said the ASEAN leaders will give details regarding the Timor-Leste’s application for ASEAN membership, at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits.

Speaking at a press conference here this evening, H.E. Kung Phoak, also Spokesperson for the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, said that under Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2022, Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership is one of the priority duties. 

Cambodia fully supports Timor-Leste’s application and always helps Timor-Leste to become a member of ASEAN, but there are requirements to be fulfilled by Timor-Leste, he said. 

Of course, he pointed out, the fact-finding mission (FFM) to Timor-Leste by the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) was conducted in 2019, but the FFMs by the other two pillars of ASEAN were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After Cambodia took over the ASEAN chairmanship in 2022, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) FFM and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) FFM have been conducted  and completed. 

“After the completion of the FFMs to Timor-Leste, we have a lot of progresses, and Timor-Leste has put all efforts for this membership, but we also see some shortcomings, […], however the ASEAN Leaders will release more information on this,” H.E. Kung Phoak said.
 
Timor-Leste had submitted an application to join ASEAN in 2011 when Indonesia was the Chair of ASEAN and since then, it had made multiple efforts to become a member of the bloc.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press