DILI, 09 July 2025 (TATOLI) – ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn met with Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, on Tuesday during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The two discussed Timor-Leste’s ongoing preparations to become a full member of ASEAN, with accession scheduled for 26 October 2025.
Their meeting followed the decision made at the 46th ASEAN Summit to admit Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11th member at the upcoming 47th Summit in October 2025.
Timor-Leste’s full membership in ASEAN has been in preparation since November 2022, when Member States agreed in principle to integrate the country, granting it observer status with full participation in meetings and summits.
The Roadmap for Full Membership, agreed in 2023, established technical and institutional criteria that Timor-Leste has been implementing with the support of ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat.
This includes building institutional capacity and aligning national policies with ASEAN standards and frameworks.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
