LANGKAWI: The Asean Secretariat will establish a Timor-Leste Unit to expedite efforts to facilitate its full membership in the regional bloc.
In a statement, Malaysia, in its capacity as the chair of the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat, reaffirmed the regional grouping's commitment to continue providing capacity-building assistance to Timor-Leste.
"We look forward to Timor-Leste becoming a full member of Asean and recognise the progress made by Timor-Leste in implementing the Roadmap for Timor-Leste's Full Membership. We also welcome the enhanced participation of Timor-Leste in Asean Meetings following the adoption of the revised Guidelines for the Implementation of the Observer Status Granted to Timor-Leste.
"We reiterate our commitment and call on our external partners to continue providing capacity-building assistance to Timor-Leste.
"We look forward to the establishment of the Timor-Leste Unit in the Asean Secretariat to intensify efforts in facilitating Timor-Leste's accession to Asean," it said in the statement following the conclusion of the retreat here yesterday.
The two-day Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat was the first ministerial-level meeting since Malaysia assumed the bloc's chairmanship on Jan 1.
Yesterday, Asean foreign ministers lauded Timor-Leste's progress in implementing the roadmap towards the country's full membership in the regional bloc.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the ministers had expressed their commitment to facilitating Timor-Leste's accession as the 11th member of Asean.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed Malaysia's unwavering support for Timor-Leste's inclusion Asean, aligning it with the vision of fostering greater unity and sustainability across the region.