Jakarta – Director of ASEAN Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Berlianto Situngkir said the Indonesian government is currently trying to help accelerate Timor Leste’s full membership in ASEAN.
The foreign aid is provided by the government in the form of capacity building in three main pillars, namely the political and security pillar, the economic pillar and the socio-cultural pillar.
“Then Indonesia itself does not remain silent waiting for Timor Leste to gain full membership, but to accelerate the process, we provide capacity building in three pillars, be it the political security pillar, the economic pillar, and the socio-cultural pillar which we will do this year in the form of apprenticeships,” Berlianto said, through a written statement, as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday (3/5/2023).
The government is currently drafting a roadmap to help Timor Leste gain full membership in ASEAN.
Berlianto said that Timor Leste had actually been accepted in principle as the eleventh member of ASEAN at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit, but not yet in full.
“So we are currently preparing for Timor Leste’s full membership, especially for those of us who are in the economic pillar, of course there are many technical cooperation that must be fulfilled so that Timor Leste can obtain its full membership,” he said.
To become a full member, there are several priority economic cooperation or core agreements that need to be realized by Timor Leste, including Treat in Goods, Treat in Services, and AKIA.
Photo Caption: (From left) Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Brunei Darussalam Foreign Minister Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Cambodia Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Timor Leste Foreign Minister Adaljiza Magno, and ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn pose for a group photo during the ASEAN Foreign Minister Meeting (AMM) Retreat 2023 at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Saturday (4/2/2023). (ANTARA FOTO/Aditya Pradana Putra/nym)
