PUTRAJAYA: The upcoming inclusion of Timor-Leste into Asean is a major achievement under Malaysia's chairmanship, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Timor Leste should be given a place in the Asean fraternity. I am glad that all this is happening while Malaysia holds the Asean chairmanship," he said at a special briefing with top editors here on Wednesday (Oct 22) night.
The Prime Minister said the addition of Timor-Leste as Asean’s 11th member is significant for the regional grouping and expressed confidence that the newest member would contribute to the bloc.
Anwar added that Malaysia's solidarity with Timor-Leste was not only rooted in diplomacy but also in friendship.
Timor-Leste's official accession is planned for Oct 26.
Timor-Leste, the youngest country in Southeast Asia, applied for Asean membership in 2011, nine years after achieving independence on May 20 2002.
In February, Malaysia announced a contribution of US$200,000 to the Timor-Leste Unit at the Asean Secretariat in Jakarta to accelerate the full membership process, as well as providing technical training through the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP), which has trained 319 Timor-Leste officials in various fields to date.
