Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto affirmed Indonesia’s full support for Timor-Leste’s aspiration to serve as ASEAN Chair in 2029.
According to him, Timor-Leste’s success in holding its first ASEAN chairmanship would be a shared success for all ASEAN member states.
“Indonesia fully supports Timor-Leste’s aspiration to serve as ASEAN Chair in 2029,” he said at the Plenary Session of the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday.
He noted that all ASEAN members have the capacity to take on a leadership role and deserve the support of the entire region.
The head of state also emphasized Indonesia’s readiness to translate ASEAN’s shared priorities into concrete results.
Prabowo also stressed the need to strengthen institutions and ensure firm leadership to advance ASEAN’s ambitions.
On that occasion, he welcomed Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s newest member and highlighted the importance of unity among all member states.
Timor-Leste officially became the 11th member of ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2025.
The 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila, the Philippines, adopted the theme “Navigating Our Future Together,” underscoring the need for ASEAN member states to strengthen regional connectivity and cooperation in addressing increasingly complex global challenges.
Ina Krisnamurthi, Director General of ASEAN Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, earlier noted that the summit would discuss several strategic regional issues, including Timor-Leste’s aspiration to become the ASEAN Chair in 2029.
Although Timor-Leste has officially joined ASEAN as a full member, Krisnamurthi said the country is still working to fully integrate into the regional bloc. This involves aligning its national laws and regulations with ASEAN standards and fulfilling its commitments under the organization’s cooperation framework.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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