Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta has expressed optimism that his country’s long-awaited entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will usher in a new era of prosperity and opportunity.
In an interview with NHK on Tuesday, Ramos-Horta said the nation, formerly known as East Timor, is set to officially join ASEAN as its eleventh member in October. He highlighted the membership as a catalyst for growth and investment.
“We are the newest, the least developed, but with tremendous potential to have our economy accelerated,” Ramos-Horta said. “We are already witnessing more and more foreign investors from the region and beyond interested in exploring investment in Timor-Leste, partly because of our ASEAN membership.”
Timor-Leste, which declared independence in 2002 after more than two decades of Indonesian rule, has long sought to deepen its integration into the global community. For Ramos-Horta, ASEAN membership is not just about economic benefits but also about contributing to regional peace and security.
“We would try to work with our ASEAN friends, partners and outside the region to strengthen the mechanisms of conflict prevention so that conflicts do not happen within ASEAN countries,” he said.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate also underscored the importance of Japan’s role in Timor-Leste’s development, noting Tokyo’s longstanding support in infrastructure, capacity-building, and economic cooperation. Looking ahead, he said he hopes to expand bilateral relations further, particularly in oil, natural gas, fisheries, and tourism.
As Timor-Leste prepares to enter ASEAN’s fold, Ramos-Horta’s vision signals a balancing act: leveraging new economic opportunities while committing to the bloc’s broader mission of peace and stability in the region.
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