The Philippines committee to back Timor-Leste's Asean bid, says Foreign Affairs Secretary
MANILA, May 25 (Bernama-PNA): The Philippines will continue supporting Timor-Leste's membership bid to become a regular member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), incoming Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro reaffirmed on Saturday.
According to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Lazaro, currently the Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and Asean Affairs, represented Manila in the Asean Senior Officials' Meeting on May 24 in preparation for the 46th Asean Summit and Related Meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"We discussed the importance of strengthening Asean centrality while expanding strategic partnerships,' she said on X.
"We also committed to supporting Timor-Leste's accession process and contributing to the Asean Community Vision 2045 implementation.'
The bloc had granted the young nation 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 accession to the bloc is on the agenda in the coming Asean meetings.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will attend the 46th Asean Summit and Related Meetings in Malaysia on May 26 and 27.
Current Asean members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- Bernama-PNA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
18 minutes ago
- The Star
Japan to provide defence equipment to Thailand, seven other nations
The Japanese national flag waves at the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo, March 18, 2024. - Photo: Reuters file TOKYO: (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japan plans to supply defence equipment to Thailand, Tonga and six other nations in the current fiscal year as security aid, a government source said Friday (June 20), in bid to ensure safe sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region where China is evolving its military posture. According to Kyodo news agency the eight countries -- also including East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Sri Lanka -- are expected to be designated as the recipients of Japan's "official security assistance" (OSA) framework, designed for like-minded partners, for fiscal 2025 from April, the source said. The government is considering providing them Japanese-made drones to help in their natural disaster relief and maritime surveillance missions, according to the source. Japan launched the OSA scheme in April 2023 to help developing countries strengthen their defence capabilities amid security concerns such as the Chinese forces' increasing assertiveness at sea and in the air. In the past two fiscal years through 2024, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia and the Philippines were recipients of the assistance programme. In May, Japan gave the Fiji navy a rescue boat and surveillance equipment, in its first delivery under the OSA framework. In its fiscal 2025 initial budget, Japan earmarked 8.1 billion yen (US$56 million) for OSA assistance, up from 2 billion yen in fiscal 2023 and 5 billion yen in fiscal 2024. - Bernama-Kyodo
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
Rights Granted Under International Law Cannot Be Taken Away Through War, Threats: Iranian President
ISTANBUL, June 22 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed Saturday that the rights granted to nations under international law 'cannot be taken away through war and threats,' Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. The Iranian president said in a call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that his country is ready for dialogue and cooperation to build confidence around its peaceful nuclear activities, but hastened to add that it will never accept demands to halt its enrichment programme, according to state-run Press TV. 'At the same time, our response to the Zionist regime's aggression will be even more forceful and resolute,' he said. 'Iran is prepared for negotiations to resolve issues, but any discussions or preconditions will only be accepted if they align with the rights and norms recognised under international law.'
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
Top News Headlines In Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore & Vietnam: June 22, 2025
BOMB THREAT IN THREE DAYS FORCES SAUDIA PLANE TO LAND IN N. SUMATRA -- JAKARTA GLOBE Joko Widodo (Jokowi), the seventh president of Indonesia, has decided not to run for the chairmanship of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), according to his youngest son and incumbent chairperson, Kaesang Pangarep. Kaesang said that he and his father communicated intensively on the subject over the past week. A Saudia Airlines aircraft carrying 376 Indonesian hajj pilgrims and 13 crew from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Surabaya in East Java, was forced to make an emergency landing at Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Saturday morning following a suspected bomb threat. MYANMAR 1. COMMERCIAL-SCALE SOLAR ENERGY PRODUCTION -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR The government is exploring commercial-scale solar energy generation to support factories. It is contemplating to provide special incentives for companies to generate solar power and urge local producers to manufacture high-quality solar panels using local raw materials. 2. AGRI, LIVESTOCK ZONING TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Authorities will focus on implementing agriculture and livestock zones in Yangon to ensure food safety for the city. These zones aim to supply livestock, fish, eggs and vegetables for the more than seven million population of the region daily. SINGAPORE 1.'FORDOW IS GONE': TRUMP SAYS US FORCES BOMBED IRAN NUCLEAR SITES -- THE STRAITS TIMES/REUTERS US President Donald Trump on June 21 said that a 'very successful attack' on three nuclear sites in Iran had been successfully carried out, including at Fordow. HAS STRUCK 3 IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES, TRUMP SAYS, JOINING ISRAELI AIR CAMPAIGN -- CNA/AP President Donald Trump said on Saturday (Jun 21) that the US military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear programme in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran's threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict. VIETNAM ANTI-DUMPING PROBE AGAINST PLYWOOD EXPORTERS -- VIETNAMPLUS Nearly 100 Vietnamese plywood exporters to the United States (US) will be probed for anti-dumping. The US Department of Commerce has initiated anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into hardwood and decorative plywood products imported from Vietnam. OPERATORS TOLD TO EMBRACE DIGITALISATION -- VIETNAM NEWS Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ho Chi Minh City have been urged to embrace digital and AI transformations to remain competitive and achieve sustainable growth. The city's digital economy is expected to contribute 25 per cent to its local economy by 2030. -- BERNAMA BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies. Follow us on social media : Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio Twitter : @ @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial TikTok : @bernamaofficial
