Timor’s entry into ASEAN opens opportunities for Portuguese-speaking countries

The President of Timor-Leste said in Luanda on Monday that the country should become the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025, which would open up new opportunities for Portuguese-speaking countries.

José Ramos-Horta, speaking at a press conference after meeting with his counterpart João Lourenço at the Presidential Palace, highlighted the potential for cooperation between the two countries and the economic dimension of PALOP (Portuguese-Speaking African Countries), saying that joining ASEAN would be a great opportunity for the CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries).

“Thanks to our membership in ASEAN, I am convinced that Timor-Leste can become an excellent warehouse for products from PALOP or CPLP countries for their redistribution in the region, like Singapore, which, in addition to being a major financial centre, is one of the largest transshipment centres in the world,” the Timorese leader said, pointing to the country and Dubai as a hub for trade in Southeast Asia.

“This is possible as long as our two governments encourage the private sector with support, loans, stable interest rates (…) so that we can move from annual romantic declarations with Latin influence to something more practical with concrete results for our countries,” he stressed.

Ramos-Horta spoke about Angola’s progress since the end of the conflict, stressing that “since the establishment of peace, Angola has set a great example of how to resolve conflicts, how to heal wounds, how to reconcile the great Angolan nation.”

Timor-Leste followed suit, he continued, normalizing relations with neighboring Indonesia and other countries in the international community with its entry into ASEAN in 2025 as a result of these “domestic and diplomatic efforts.”

Timor’s president thanked the fact that countries like Angola and other Portuguese-speaking countries helped Timor in the “ethical and diplomatic battle” for independence, hoping to attend the celebration of Angola’s 50th anniversary of independence.

At the meeting with João Lourenço, the potential for bilateral cooperation between Angola and Timor-Leste was discussed, as well as the economic potential of PALOP and CPLP, taking into account the fact that Timor-Leste, as a member of ASEAN, is part of a regional market of about 700 million consumers with a GDP of four billion dollars.

This group of countries “offers an excellent opportunity at the CPLP level to move from declarations on the importance of the economic dimension to the implementation of some acts of cooperation,” Ramos-Horta said.

ASEAN is a regional organization of ten Southeast Asian countries that promotes intergovernmental cooperation and advances economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration among its members and other Asian countries.

Ramos-Horta also believed that Angola had not received enough recognition for its post-war governance, saying Luanda was “unrecognizable,” pointing to “great architectural works that are the symbol of the new Angola.”

He added that João Lourenço would be received “with all human warmth” in Timor-Leste after the Angolan head of state confirmed that he had accepted his counterpart’s invitation to visit the Asian country.