Timor-Leste must intensify its efforts to attain full Asean membership, as it still needs to meet several legal requirements, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Speaking at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on Sunday (May 25), Mohamad announced that Asean foreign ministers had agreed to establish a special task force to support Timor-Leste's membership process.
He also noted that the adoption of the draft Addendum to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) represents a significant milestone in aligning Timor-Leste with Asean’s policies and regional security framework.
00:00Proposal on establishment on special task force for Timor-Leste. We agree on that. On this matter, as mentioned by ASEAN Secretary General, there is already a Timor-Leste unit. So we have a Timor-Leste unit been established at the ASEAN Secretary in Jakarta. This is to expedite and also to assist Timor-Leste in compliance with all the legal instrument. They need to sign this a lot. Instrument they need to comply with.
00:28The meeting welcomed the operationalization of Timor-Leste's unit, which plays a crucial role in supporting Timor-Leste's integration into ASEAN. We commended the meaningful progress made by Timor-Leste in implementing the roadmap, as reflected in the progress report.
00:44We also recognize the ongoing efforts by ASEAN Member States in providing Timor-Leste with capacity-building assistance, which is crucial for expediting the process of Timor-Leste's inclusion as a full member of ASEAN.
01:02We reaffirmed our strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in ASEAN, particularly in its efforts to fulfill the remaining criteria outlined in the roadmap.
01:16We noted the proposal for Timor-Leste to be granted ASEAN Membership this year, and at the same time, Timor-Leste will continue to work towards fulfilling the criteria as stipulated in the roadmap.
01:33In conclusion, all recommendations agreed at the ministry level today will be further discussed and deliberated at the latest level tomorrow.
01:41Dato' Sri, sebelum Dato' Sri kata kemungkinan besar Timor-Leste akan jadi anggota ASEAN Oktober ini, so is there any kepastian daripada Malaysia yang Oktober ini akan pasti dapat anggota?
01:55Ia sikap tadi kan, hopefully. There is a caveat there, hopefully. But we are trying our very best to facilitate and also to help to assist Timor-Leste's because majority, majority, a lot of, all countries, in fact, for that matter, we want to see that Timor-Leste will be admitted as one part of ASEAN, a big family of ASEAN.
02:16but now Timor Leste
02:18have to work doubly hard
02:19to fulfill all the conditions
02:21and all those legal
02:23instrument they have to comply with
02:25so failing which I think quite difficult
02:28but we try our very best
02:29Datuk Seri, tahun lepas ada menyatakan
02:31sewaktu mesyuarat Menteri-Menteri
02:34Luar ASEAN di Vientiane, tahun lepas
02:35Datuk Seri kata, antara keperluan utama
02:37Timor Leste untuk
02:39menyertai ASEAN ialah melengkapkan
02:4184 instrument, dan Malaysia
02:43pada tahun lalu berkata
02:45Datuk Seri kata, Malaysia berharap
02:47boleh capai 25% daripada
02:4984 instrument itu, mungkin Datuk Seri boleh
02:51kongsikan perkembangan terkini
02:53perkara tersebut yang dicapai oleh
02:55Myanmar setakat ini, eh maaf, Timor Leste
02:57setakat ini Datuk Seri
02:58berkenaan dengan legal instrument
03:01yang perlu di
03:03orang kita
03:04yang diperakukan oleh Timor Leste
03:07instrument-instrument tersebut
03:10banyak lagi yang
03:11Timor Leste perlu buat
03:12kita dah lihat dah
03:15daripada 84 itu, kita dah turunkan kepada 66
03:18tapi kebanyakannya adalah di bawah EAC
03:22ASEAN Economic Council
03:23di bawah APAC, dia semua dah buat dah
03:26jadi yang
03:28ekonomi punya itu
03:29jadi kita nak supaya Timor Leste
03:32berusaha dan kita cuba
03:34untuk
03:35membantu Timor Leste
03:37untuk mereka dapat
03:39mematuhi
03:41legal instrument tersebut
03:42dan juga
03:44kita juga
03:45meneroka
03:48cadangan
03:48supaya
03:50jika dia tak boleh buat pun
03:51kita bagi dia jangka masa
03:53bagi dia masuk dulu
03:55ini kita nak
03:56apa lah
03:56itu pulang kepada peringkat
03:57kepimpinan negara
03:59ya
04:00kemudian
04:02dia
04:03boleh fulfill
04:04dalam jangka masa
04:04katakan 5 tahun
04:05dia mesti fulfill all the conditions
04:07jadi
04:09ini cara untuk kita pastikan
04:11supaya
04:11dia bersamaan dengan tema
04:14ASEAN kita tahu ni
04:16iaitu
04:17inclusivity and sustainability
04:20we must be inclusive
04:21Timor Leste adalah merupakan negara
04:25di dalam ASEAN
04:26dan mereka sepatutnya
04:28kita
04:30masukkan mereka di dalam
04:32kumpulan negara ASEAN
04:33sebagai anggota penuh
04:34tapi
04:35Timor Leste mesti
04:38bekerja kuat
04:40untuk mereka memenuhi
04:42sebahagian besar
04:43daripada
04:44keperluan-keperluan
04:46undang-undang
04:46ataupun legal instrument
04:48yang perlu mereka patuhi
04:49di dalam jangka masa
05:03So what do you want to do with the state of the state?
05:06What do you want to do to a full accession, as you say, in
05:10October?
05:12We call it Timor-Leste no more East Timor, because the
05:16independent state, Timor-Leste.
05:18Timor-Leste have no issue, as I mentioned just now, that
05:21Timor-Leste have to work doubly hard for them to fulfil all
05:26the legal requirements, because much that we want to help
05:30them, but they have to help themselves.
05:32Especially on economic sector pillars, about 66 legal
05:36instruments they have to fulfil, but we are talking about why
05:40not we rope them in first, then we give them certain number of
05:44years for them slowly but surely to fulfil and to comply with
05:48the requirement.
05:50That is the direction that we are looking at now.
05:54But we need a political decision by our leaders on Timor-Leste.
