KUALA LUMPUR: Timor-Leste is ready to take its rightful place as the 11th member of ASEAN, President José Ramos-Horta said, describing membership in the regional bloc as both a strategic necessity and a birthright for the young nation.
In an exclusive interview with Bernama at the Presidential Palace in Dili, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate pledged that Timor-Leste would be a constructive member, contributing to the stability and prosperity of Southeast Asia.
Ramos-Horta expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other ASEAN nations for supporting Timor-Leste’s bid for accession.
“We thank Malaysia and all ASEAN leaders for the trust in us, that we are capable of discharging our responsibilities as an ASEAN member. We have weaknesses, but we pledge and promise to improve and to do better year after year,” he said in a special interview on Bernama TV’s Timor-Leste’s Next Chapter: With ASEAN and Malaysia, aired on Wednesday.
He added that Timor-Leste considers ASEAN membership a birthright due to its geographical location and cultural identity in Southeast Asia.
The President affirmed that the country will be a peaceful, open, and respectful member, committed to the bloc’s growth.
“My short message to Malaysia, to ASEAN, is that we will do our best to be a loyal, steady friend of all in ASEAN, and contribute to making the region ever more credible and influential in the world,” Ramos-Horta said.
The youngest nation in Southeast Asia gained independence on May 20, 2002, and formally applied to join ASEAN in 2011.
Malaysia has been a steadfast supporter of its accession, recognising that it will strengthen regional unity and complete ASEAN’s geographical composition.
Timor-Leste is expected to be officially admitted as the 11th member during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month. – BERNAMA
