VIENTIANE (July 25): Malaysia, as the chairman of Asean next year, will introduce the Asean Community Concept 2025-2045 to enhance cooperation among regional countries in various aspects.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the Asean Community Concept is a 20-year vision for the Asean member states.

According to him, the process of preparing the Asean Community Draft is now in its final stage and a committee-level meeting will be held at the end of this month in Melaka.

"We hope to be able to finalise and sign the draft early next year. We will call a committee-level meeting at the end of this month in Melaka to finalise the remaining issues," he told Malaysian media on Thursday.

He explained that the goal of the Asean Community Concept is to make Asean a large community not only economically but also in terms of energy distribution, connectivity, infrastructure, and more.

Asean has the potential to become a significant bloc in the global economic system due to the advantages each member country offers.

"With a population of over 600 million and a GDP that is the fifth largest globally and projected to become the fourth largest within two to three years, this forms the basis for building our future," he said.

Additionally, Mohamad mentioned that he has proposed to all Asean member states that Timor-Leste be considered for membership after fulfilling 25% of the 84 criteria required for joining Asean.

Timor-Leste currently attends Asean as an observer since applying for membership.

"In the plenary session of the 57th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-57), I suggested that if we want to wait until 84 instruments are fulfilled by Timor Leste, it will take many years. On behalf of Malaysia, we proposed to our Asean partners that Timor-Leste should be allowed to join if it meets at least 25 per cent of these criteria," he said.

Mohamad stated that this matter will be discussed at the committee level, and Malaysia is prepared to assist in ensuring Timor-Leste's swift accession to Asean.

Timor-Leste's accession to Asean is a process that began after the country's independence in 2002.

It was recognised as an Asean observer, and it joined the Asean Regional Forum in 2005 before officially applying for membership on March 4, 2011.

In 2022, Asean leaders at the 40th and 41st Asean Summits and Related Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, broadly agreed to accept Timor-Leste as the 11th member of the group.

Asean leaders also granted Timor-Leste observer status to participate in all Asean meetings, including plenary sessions.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/node/720444