Southeast Asian leaders agreed at the ASEAN summit held in October to accept Timor-Leste as the 11th member, provided the country completes the remaining conditions required for formal membership.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar said ASEAN leaders have reached a consensus supporting Timor-Leste in taking all necessary steps to become a formal member.
"The decision (of ASEAN) is quite clear, which is to agree at the next summit held in October to accept Timor-Leste as a formal member, of course, provided that one or two actions or reforms are completed, especially in terms of economic pillar conditions."
He said this today (27th) when asked during a press conference summarizing the 46th ASEAN summit after attending the first ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council-China Summit.
Timor-Leste first applied for membership in 2011 and was approved in 2022 to participate in high-level meetings as an observer, but full integration is still being assessed.
The invited Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Xanana, expressed optimism about becoming a member, confident that they would become a formal member at the ASEAN summit held in October before the end of the year.
In addition, Anwar also confirmed that Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah is currently at the National Heart Institute.
He said that His Majesty reportedly felt somewhat fatigued and thus chose to rest at the mentioned medical institution.
Earlier, the media inquired about the Sultan's absence from the tripartite summit held this afternoon, and there were reports suggesting that His Majesty was receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute.