42nd ASEAN Summit will be historical for both Timor-Leste and ASEAN

Filomeno raised his hopes during an interview granted to a Jakarta based VOV correspondent ahead of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, on May 09-11. Following is the full text of the interview.

VOV: Timor-Leste will attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo for the first time as an observer. How do you evaluate the significance of this important event?
Amb. Filomeno: This coming 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo will be historical for both Timor-Leste and ASEAN, as for the first time a leader of Timor-Leste will be sitting in the ASEAN Summit meetings as an observer. Timor-Leste welcomes positively this progress in our ASEAN accession process and we deeply appreciate the continued support from all ASEAN member states in this endeavor. This optimistic progress is only to demonstrate the strong regional cooperation in Southeast Asia and strengthen the ASEAN Centrality in this region.

VOV: What do you expect from the outcome of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, especially the adoption of a criteria-based Roadmap for Timor Leste’s full membership of ASEAN?
Amb. Filomeno: As you know that from the summits last year, ASEAN leaders had agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the 11th member of the bloc and grant an observer status to Timor-Leste, enabling Timor-Leste to participate in all ASEAN meetings, including the Summit plenaries. This process to our understanding is irreversible, in the sense that the following due processes/decisions are only to prepare Timor-Leste for its full membership to ASEAN.

As such, with the full support that we have been receiving from all the ASEAN member states, we are confident that the Criteria-based Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s full membership to ASEAN will be adopted by the ASEAN leaders. We are glad that ASEAN has continued to include Timor-Leste in the process. And of course, we are counting on the continuous support of all ASEAN member states on the following progression to ensure a smooth integration of Timor-Leste to this important regional organization.

VOV: Could you tell us about some results of cooperation between Timor-Leste and ASEAN over the years?
Amb. Filomeno: Despite not much cooperation with the ASEAN per se as yet, Timor-Leste has a very strong relationship with all ASEAN member states. In relation to ASEAN, for instance we are a member of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). We have been participating in its meetings and activities over the years which contribute to our capacity building programs. We are also member to SEA Games in which our athletes participate in its competitions. In multilateral fora, most if not all, Timor-Leste’s positions have always been aligned with the position of ASEAN, significantly contributing to decisions on peace, security and economic development in the region and the world at large.

Bilaterally, Timor-Leste enjoys a vibrant and multifaceted cooperation with all ASEAN member states. To name a few, we have joined numerous capacity building programs with Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. We have also received significant investments from the AMS. For instance, Singapore is currently the Number one investor in Timor-Leste. Indonesia is also having significant investment in telecommunication and banking. Vietnam has also been investing in telecommunications in Timor-Leste through the subsidiary of Viettel Vietnam called Telemor. This cooperation between Timor-Leste and ASEAN in general and its member states in particular has tremendously contributed to regional peace and security and to economic development of Timor-Leste.

VOV: In your opinion, what does Timor-Leste's official membership of ASEAN means to both sides?
Amb. Filomeno: Timor-Leste’s membership to ASEAN will be a very positive for the region in this very volatile world for both peace and security and economic integration and development. This will continue to strengthen the ASEAN centrality in the region as practically there will be no more country in the Southeast Asian Region left outside the organization. In this globalized and digital era, cooperation between countries is crucial, especially in this region. Timor-Leste is of course looking forward to the full membership and to actively contribute to peace and security in the region and to its economic integration and development.

VOV: How do you assess the role and position of Vietnam in ASEAN, especially in promoting the prompt admission of Timor-Leste?
Amb. Filomeno: Vietnam has been a very strong supporter of Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership bid since the very beginning of our application. We recognized that during Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2020, significant efforts were made to accelerate this process, however we also understood that COVID-19 was a great challenge at that time. On that we commend Vietnam for successfully chairing ASEAN during the time of global health crisis. We are looking forward to working closely with Vietnam in the future especially in relation to our membership to ASEAN, through capacity building programs and development cooperation.