Timor-Leste officially admitted to Asean, becoming its 11th member

KUALA LUMPUR – For the first time in 26 years, Asean has expanded its ranks, with Timor-Leste officially admitted as the grouping’s 11th member on Oct 26.

The announcement came as regional leaders convened for the

47th Asean Summit

and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, hosted under Malaysia’s current chairmanship.

Timor-Leste’s admission was made official after the summit’s opening ceremony, marking a milestone for both the island nation of 1.3 million people, and Asean, at a time of shifting geopolitical dynamics and persistent global economic uncertainty.

Timor-Leste is the first country to join the grouping since Cambodia’s admission in 1999.

The nation, which gained independence in 2002 after decades of conflict and foreign occupation, now becomes part of a community that began as a five-member association in 1967 and today represents more than 700 million people in Southeast Asia.

Timor-Leste first applied for membership in 2011 and received in-principle approval in 2022, following years of institutional strengthening and capacity-building efforts to meet Asean’s political, economic and administrative requirement.

Observers say the expansion underscores Asean’s commitment to openness and regional cohesion, even as questions persist over its ability to maintain unity and relevance amid intensifying competition among major powers.

Timor-Leste’s admission was formalised on the morning of Oct 26, as Asean leaders endorsed the country’s entry as one of the first items on the summit agenda following the opening ceremony.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao joined the 10 Asean leaders for the signing of documents confirming the nation’s long-awaited entry, officially sealing its place as the grouping’s 11th member. The leaders later posed for photographs and interlocked arms in the traditional Asean gesture of unity.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Timor-Leste and said that its place in the group “completes the Asean family”.

“Within this community, Timor-Leste’s development and its strategic autonomy will find firm and lasting support,” he added.

Mr Gusmão said the country’s accession to Asean was a testament to the spirit of its people and their commitment to democracy. Joining the grouping, he said, marked the start of a new era of collaboration and growth within one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

“Timor-Leste joins with humility and with pride, fully embracing core values of Asean - mutual respect, peaceful cooperation, unity in diversity and regional solidarity,” he said.

Mr Gusmão noted that Timor-Leste’s participation in Asean was a natural affiliation, rooted in the country’s culture, geography and its strategic priorities for the future. This, he said, was not the end of a journey but the beginning of a new chapter – one aimed at advancing Asean’s vision of a peaceful, prosperous, resilient and people-centred community.

Timor-Leste delegates cheered the moment the young nation was accepted into the grouping.

Shedding a tear, Francisca Maia, an official, said she has been waiting for the moment for too long. “As a Timorese, I feel honoured to be present at the event.” she told reporters.

She was not alone. In the media centre at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, reporters from the island nation were seen wiping away tears as their flag was raised alongside those of other member states.

Over the next three days, Asean leaders will hold a series of meetings among themselves and with external partners, with discussions expected to range from the United States-China trade tensions to Myanmar.

They are also scheduled to meet key partners including US President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Other attending leaders include Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.