Indonesia on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for East Timor’s bid to
become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“We will work hard to realize
Timor Leste’s vision in becoming a member of the Asean,” Indonesian Foreign
Minister Marty Natalegawa told a press conference in Jakarta, using the
country’s alternate name, alongside his East Timor counterpart Jose Luis Guterres.
Marty also welcomed the
appointment of Roberto Soares as deputy minister for Asean affairs in the
cabinet of East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. “This reflects Timor
Leste’s seriousness in becoming a member of Asean,” Marty said. Soares is part
of the delegation in Jakarta.
East Timor first sought
membership in Asean in 2007, but the formal application was only submitted to
the regional grouping in March last year.
If accepted, East Timor will
become Asean’s 11th member, joining Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Marty said that East Timor had to
assure the other members of the regional grouping that its membership will not
disturb the group’s plan for an Asean Economic Community beginning in 2015.
He said that Indonesia was not
among those members who believed a new member would upset the plan. “Timor
Leste has to be able to reply that its membership in Asean before 2015 would
not disturb the attainment of the 2015 Asean Community,” Marty said.
He added that a working group of
the Asean Coordinating Council was currently meeting in Cambodia to discuss
East Timor’s membership application.
“We hope that this can be settled
soon, so that the recommendations can be submitted to the heads of state as
soon as possible. We want Asean to at least accept in principle a road map for
Timor Leste to become a member of Asean,” he said.
Meanwhile, Guterres, who is on
his first visit to Indonesian following his appointment as minister for foreign
affairs and cooperation last month, said the two countries remain committed to
strengthening their ties.
“I am happy that Indonesia has
become a country that continues to develop and become more dynamic, active and
strong,” Guterres said, adding that Dili hoped to see Indonesia one day sit on
the UN Security Council as a permanent member.
“We also want to strengthen
relations between our peoples because this is important for people who share
the same values and national heritage,” he added.
Indonesia occupied East Timor for
a quarter-century until 1999, with troops committing acts of violence just
prior to their departure. But Indonesia has subsequently been a prominent
supporter of the fledgling nation in international forums.
Ismira Lutfia
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