Jakarta. ASEAN is set to officially accept Timor-Leste as its when the group’s leaders gather in Kuala Lumpur this October, thus finally ending the half-island nation’s decades-long wait. 

The bloc’s secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn confirmed the expansion on Friday. He admitted that Timor-Leste’s upcoming membership was also a major talking point when ASEAN’s foreign ministers met in Kuala Lumpur last week. 

“There will be two key documents that we will have to finalize through the internal process by the members, but also by Timor-Leste. The first one being a declaration of [Dili’s] admission,” Kao told a briefing at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. 

The second document will be an instrument for Timor-Leste’s approval to be bound by the so-called ASEAN Charter, which includes a pledge not to interfere with other members’ internal affairs, among others. Kao said that the documents had to be ready before the October summit.

Timor-Leste officially applied to ASEAN in 2011. However, it was only in 2022 that the club agreed “in principle” to accept Timor-Leste as its 11th member. Dili’s lackluster infrastructure development and stark inequality had set obstacles to its ASEAN dream. East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta even once joked how it would be “easier to reach the perfection of heaven” than join ASEAN. 

Timor-Leste has participated in ASEAN’s meetings as an “observer”. The group has rolled out a roadmap that includes the steps Timor-Leste would need to fulfill. If Dili secures a full membership in October, this aligns with what Ramos-Horta had been aiming for.  During a trip to Jakarta in August 2023, the political activist said that 2025 would be the ideal year for Timor-Leste to officially join the Southeast Asian grouping.

“Because we would have two solid years to build on the progress that we have made under the roadmap to be better [prepared] as a full-fledged member,” he told a conference at the time.

Add as a preferred source on Google +