DILI, 11 august 2023 (TATOLI)—The President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta called for unity between ASEAN member countries in a bond committed to solidarity.
Horta made his statement while giving remarks at the commemoration of the 56th anniversary of ASEAN at the Philippine Embassy in Timor-Leste, this Friday.
“ASEAN’s aspirational and inspirational goals are economic growth, social progress, and cultural development. So, developing towards regional peace and stability with the rule of law and the principles enshrined in the UN Charter as the foundation and are part of the vision of the founders of ASEAN,” said President Horta.
According to the Head of State, cooperation in the field of trade between Timor-Leste and other ASEAN countries has started to increase. “We have established Embassies in 10 ASEAN Member Countries and in the near future an Ambassador will be appointed to become the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta-Indonesia,” explained Horta.
He emphasized that Timor-Leste is ready to join ASEAN and will always strive for consensus, encourage dialogue, and support mediation, and early regional dialogue to prevent differences and tensions that exist.
“Congratulations to ASEAN for celebrating its anniversary no for this extraordinary experiment, for a long journey that started at the height of the Cold War, and now in the Digital Age witnessing extraordinary innovations, becoming creators of new solutions for new challenges, anticipating the challenges of the next 50 years,” said Horta.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Okto Dorinus, thanked the Embassies of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, in Timor-Leste, for joining the Indonesian Embassy in celebrating the ASEAN Anniversary in Timor-Leste.
It was emphasized that ASEAN Member Countries are ready to provide support in providing assistance capacity building to accelerate Timor-Leste towards a full ASEAN Timor-Leste.
“Once again, on behalf of ASEAN, I and my colleagues would like to thank everyone for the good gestures and contributions from everyone, including Timor-Leste Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, diplomats and staff from the ASEAN Embassies, the media, and other stakeholders. relevant in creating a memorable and successful celebration. Happy ASEAN 56th Anniversary and Happy ASEAN Day to all,” he said.
ASEAN was founded on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers, of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
It took several years before Brunei Darussalam joined on 07 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.
Journalist : Mirandolina Barros Soares
Editor : Armandina Moniz
Translation: Camilo de Sousa
