President Jokowi Affirms Timor Leste Membership Support In ASEAN

President Joko Widodo (right) held a bilateral meeting with Timorese Prime Minister Leste Xanana Gusmao at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (4/9/2023). ANTARA/Indra Arief Pribadi

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that Indonesia has always supported the Timor Leste membership process at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"Indonesia always supports and the membership application of Timor Leste and the implementation of the membership roadmap (road map), including through increasing the capacity of Timor Leste officials," said President Jokowi in a bilateral meeting with Timorese Prime Minister Leste Xana Gusmao at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, reported by ANTARA, Monday, September 4.

Jokowi said Indonesia and Timor Leste are brothers so that the partnership between the two countries must be strengthened. The President of the Republic of Indonesia also congratulated Xana Gusmao as PM of Timor Leste on July 1, 2023.

"Welcome to Jakarta and congratulations on your noble inauguration. Indonesia and Timor Leste are brothers so that our partnership must be strengthened," said Jokowi.

The bilateral meeting between Jokowi and Xanana was held ahead of the ASEAN Summit on September 5-7, 2023. Apart from Xana, President Jokowi also held a bilateral meeting with PM of the Cook Islands, PM Vietnam, and PM Cambodia.

Timor Leste has been accepted in principle as a member of the 11th ASEAN in a high-level conference (KTT) at Phnom Penh, Cambodia last year. Since then, Timor Leste has reportedly ratified more than 50 instruments, agreements, and agreements as well as conducted more training on capacity building and expanding infrastructure networks in order to accommodate the needs and obligations of becoming ASEAN members.

Ahead of the ASEAN Summit 5-7 September 2023, a number of heads of state have arrived in Indonesia on Sunday (3/9) as of Monday, including Vietnam Prime Minister (PM) Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Laos Sonexay Sroomdone PM, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Cook Islands PM Mark Brown.

The 43rd ASEAN Summit was held in Jakarta on September 5-7, 2023, under the chairmanship of Indonesia which carries the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth. Through this theme, Indonesia wants to make ASEAN relevant in order to be able to face various challenges in the future and encourage stability and peace in the region.

Indonesia will also continue to strengthen concrete cooperation so that Southeast Asia remains the center of world economic growth.