KUALA LUMPUR: Timor Leste must intensify its efforts to become a full Asean member, since it needs to meet numerous legal requirements, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Mohamad stated that Timor Leste must comply with the remaining 66 legal instruments if it wishes to become a full member of Asean.
“We want to help them, but they have to help themselves, too,” said Mohamad during a press conference at the KL Convention Centre (KLCC) on Sunday (May 25).
Mohamad spoke to reporters after chairing the 36th Asean Coordinating Council (ACC) meeting.
He also said that Asean foreign ministers agreed to establish a special task force for Timor Leste.
“There is already a Timor Leste unit established at the Asean Secretariat in Jakarta, this is to expedite and assist Timor Leste in compliance with all legal instruments,” said Mohamad.
He also said the adoption of the draft Addendum to the Treaty on the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) marks a significant milestone in integrating Timor Leste into Asean policies and security framework.
“Asean member states will now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedures to finalise Timor Leste’s accession process by the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in October this year, hopefully,” added Mohamad.
He also said all recommendations agreed upon at the ministerial level meetings on Sunday (May 25) will be discussed at the leaders' level on Monday (May 26).
Mohamad said Asean was exploring a proposal to admit Timor Leste as a full member before it complies with all the legal instruments.
“We are considering a suggestion to give them a timeline. For example, if they can fulfil the legal instruments within five years, then they can be a full member.
“This is how we ensure that we align with our Asean theme this year - inclusivity and sustainability,” he said.
“We must be inclusive, and Timor Leste, as a country in the region, should have been a full Asean member,” added Mohamad.
Timor Leste was granted observer status in Asean in 2022 after the Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and it has since participated in meetings and capacity-building programmes in preparation for full membership.
