Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has pledged USD200,000 to the Timor-Leste Unit at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to speed up the country’s journey to full ASEAN membership and ensure it remains a priority in upcoming ASEAN meetings, including the ASEAN Summit.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan confirmed that Malaysia will lead efforts to streamline the membership roadmap, including ensuring Timor-Leste’s participation in 88 ASEAN legal instruments and agreements. He detailed that these agreements are spread across the ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN Political-Security Community, and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

During a session in the Dewan Rakyat, Mohamad noted Malaysia’s suggestion that Timor-Leste need not fulfill all 88 instruments immediately. He stated that meeting 20-30 percent would be sufficient, with time allowed for gradual compliance, facilitating Timor-Leste’s integration as a permanent ASEAN partner this year.

Mohamad added that Timor-Leste has been seeking ASEAN membership since 2011, with support from the association to meet membership requirements. The 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in November 2022 saw ASEAN agreeing in principle to admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member, contingent on fulfilling the criteria outlined in the Full Membership Roadmap.