In October 2025, Timor-Leste will conclude what President Jose Ramos-Horta known as its “long-awaited accession” to grow to be the eleventh member of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, alongside Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Becoming a member of ASEAN has been a geopolitical purpose of Timor-Leste because it gained independence in 2002. It has been an ASEAN observer since then and part of the ASEAN Regional Discussion board since 2005.
That its efforts took so lengthy to repay is a mirrored image of Timor Leste’s diplomatic and developmental challenges over the previous 20 years. That they did repay is a triumph for the nation, one which additionally signifies the area acknowledges the potential in its developmental trajectory in addition to its political relevance.
For ASEAN’s half, Timor’s tenacity in looking for to hitch the bloc factors to the advantages of membership in a corporation with a prolonged file of selling open, consensus-based dialogue between main powers and performing as a powerhouse of world financial exercise.
