Posted on 23 February 2023
Last week, Oko Widodo, President of Indonesia, and Taur Matan Ruak, Prime Minister of Timor Leste, announced that Timor Leste’s entry into ASEAN was in progress. The nation was entered into the organisation in principle with observer status in November last year.
The announcement confirmed the plan to officially join Timor Leste as part of the organisation, and provided an indication that gaining official membership is in the works. This was exemplified by Timor Leste observing the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) meeting held on February 3 in Jakarta.
As South East Asia has become increasingly authoritative in recent years, the addition of Timor Leste is viewed as important in providing a more democratic perspective to the group.