PNA
03 Feb 2023, 15:12 GMT+10
MANILA - The Philippine government on Friday reaffirmed its support for Timor Leste's full membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The reiteration was made during a meeting between Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and his Timor Leste counterpart Foreign Minister Adaljiza A.X.R. Magno on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' (AMM) Retreat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
"[I] met Timor Leste FM (Magno) on the sidelines of the AMM Retreat in Jakarta to discuss how we can further our bilateral relations & opportunities for cooperation under the ASEAN framework in Timor Leste's current capacity as observer," Manalo said in a tweet.
"I also reiterated (the Philippines') support for Timor Leste's eventual admission as a full-fledged member of ASEAN," he added.
The ASEAN last year granted the young nation an observer status and allowed its participation in all of its meetings, including summit plenaries.
In a November 2022 statement, the ASEAN leaders agreed "in-principle to admit Timor-Leste to be the 11th member" of the bloc.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said Timor Leste's inclusion took some time because membership to ASEAN is a "complex issue" that has to take into consideration factors such as a country's capacity to assume ASEAN's rotating chairmanship.
"So there are logistical, personnel, financial aspects that have to be taken into consideration when one becomes a member of ASEAN," DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said in a recent presser. (PNA)
Get a daily dose of Manila Metro news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Manila Metro.
More InformationBRISBANE, Queensland, Australia - Two French girls barely out of high school remain behind bars after their arrival into Australia's...
BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- With strong tides of innovation and a deepening drive for sustainability, China's marine economy is surging...
(250713) -- LAS VEGAS, July 13, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Winners An Jaehyun (1st L)/Lim Jonghoon (2nd L) of South Korea and runners-up Alexis...
Houston [US], July 13 (ANI): IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station...
BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- At Hefei's urban air mobility hub, the rotor blades of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL)...
Canberra [Australia], July 13 (ANI): Australia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has announced 34 recipients of this year's...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has started sending some weapons to Ukraine again, just a week after the Pentagon told officials...
ECAULT BEACH, France: On clear days, the white cliffs of the United Kingdom, are visible from northern France, where men, women, and...
ATLANTA, Georgia: The United States is facing its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, with 1,288 confirmed cases so...
In the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
LONDON, U.K.: At least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the U.K.'s Post Office scandal, in which...