Latest news with #AseanMembership
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
East Timor could join Asean bloc by October
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has long campaigned for Asean membership. (EPA Images pic) KUALA LUMPUR : East Timor is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said today. Mohamad Hasan said on the sidelines ahead of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Kuala Lumpur that Dili 'has made meaningful progress in implementing a roadmap' for it to join. East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries and some concerns remain around whether it could participate meaningfully in Asean's development agenda. However, the bloc's foreign ministers voiced 'strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in Asean, particularly in its efforts to fulfil the remaining criteria', Mohamad told a news conference, using the country's Portuguese name. The top Malaysian diplomat did not give details on issues still outstanding but full membership could be granted at Asean's next regional meeting in October, chaired this year by Malaysia. Asean member states will 'now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedure with a view to finalise Timor-Leste's accession process by the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in October, hopefully', Mohamad said. East Timor is the youngest country in Southeast Asia, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation. Its president, Jose Ramos-Horta, has long campaigned for Asean membership and an application was first submitted by the former Portuguese colony of around 1.3 million people in 2011. Dili was granted observer status to the regional body in 2022 but its full membership has been delayed by various challenges. East Timor is grappling with high levels of inequality, malnourishment and unemployment and remains heavily reliant on oil, with little diversification into other sectors. It also faces challenges in infrastructure development and human resource capacity, seen as critical for effective participation in Asean's economic community.
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Anwar: Malaysia, Laos reaffirm support for Timor-Leste's Asean membership bid
PUTRAJAYA, May 25 — Malaysia and Laos have reiterated their strong support for Timor-Leste's full Asean membership and called for intensified, inclusive efforts to address Myanmar's prolonged crisis. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said both countries agreed that it was time to finalise Timor-Leste's accession process. 'We also discussed the accession of Timor-Leste, hopefully by October this year if we can retain a consensus in this meeting tomorrow, particularly during the following retreat,' he said in a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Laos, Sonexay Siphandone, at the Perdana Putra Complex here today. Earlier, Anwar and Siphandone witnessed the exchange of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) and Thanaleng Dry Port (TDP). The exchange was represented by MMC Port Holdings Sdn Bhd (MMC Ports) chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Azman Shah Mohd Yusof and PTL Holding Co Ltd CEO Chanthone Sitthixay. On the situation in Myanmar, Anwar said the matter was also raised during his discussion with Siphandone. 'We did discuss too, concerning Myanmar, the need to continue humanitarian assistance, but also the need for all parties in Myanmar to respect the need for peace, immediate ceasefire and then to try and work through the Asean mechanism and understanding, using the five-point consensus among Asean countries,' he said. Siphandone arrived in Malaysia today to begin his first official visit ahead of the 46th Asean Summit and Related Meetings in Kuala Lumpur. He was then accorded an official welcoming ceremony by the Prime Minister at the Perdana Putra Complex, followed by a bilateral meeting. Wisma Putra, in a statement, said this is Siphandone's first visit to Malaysia since being elected as Prime Minister of Laos in December 2022. The visit, ahead of the 46th Asean Summit, the second Asean-GCC Summit and the Asean-GCC-China Summit on May 26 and 27 in Malaysia's capital, underscores the strong and enduring ties between Malaysia and Laos. The 46th Asean Summit, being held under Malaysia's 2025 Chairmanship theme, 'Inclusivity and Sustainability', also marks Malaysia's fifth time chairing the regional bloc since its previous chairmanships in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015. In 2024, total bilateral trade between Malaysia and Laos reached RM99.7 million (USD21.9 million), with Malaysia's exports valued at RM67.8 million (USD14.9 million) and imports totalling RM31.9 million (USD7 million). Malaysia is the 5th largest foreign investor in Laos, with total investments worth USD942 million across 46 registered projects, focusing on sectors such as renewable energy, transport and logistics, telecommunication, construction, banking and hotel services. — Bernama
