TIMOR-Leste has been waiting for more than a decade to be an official member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since its initial application in 2011. Despite the long wait, the small island nation hinted it could further delay its membership depending on how the bloc will resolve the ongoing tensions in Myanmar.
Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão boldly claimed last week it could not accept military junta regimes anywhere and could not ignore human rights violations in Myanmar as the island nation has adopted democracy.
Xanana said that the ASEAN’s inability to sit together to end the conflict in Myanmar would mean that ‘Timor-Leste cannot trust ASEAN’.
In April 2021, ASEAN and Myanmar’s junta agreed on a peace initiative for Myanmar but its implementation has been stagnant due to a lack of commitment from the junta.
In late 2022, the 10-country bloc finally agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the group’s 11th member.
Meanwhile, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta believes his country could become a full-fledged ASEAN member by 2025.
Experts have interpreted his latest statement as an indication that Timor-Leste is actually still evaluating its decision to join the ASEAN, which may also affect how the 10 members view Timor-Leste’s application.
