Accession of East Timor to ASEAN
The accession of East Timor to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a process that started following the independence of the country in 2002 when its leaders stated that it had made a "strategic decision" to become a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the future.[1] The country officially applied for membership in 2011.[2]
Closer ties with ASEAN are supported by all political parties in East Timor.[3] East Timor would have by far the smallest GDP in the ASEAN, less than 15% of the smallest current ASEAN member state Laos.[4] In 2022, the country was admitted "in principle" as the organization's 11th member, with full membership pending.[5]
Public opinion[edit]
In East Timor[edit]
A 2018 National Public Opinion Survey by the International Republican Institute, sponsored by USAID, recorded that 76% of East Timorese supported full membership in ASEAN, with 11% having never heard of it, 8% responding 'Don't know/Refused to answer,' and only 5% expressing opposition to joining.[74] In the same poll, 77% of people expressed a very favorable outlook towards ASEAN (an increase of 5%, from 72% in 2016),[75] 13% held a somewhat favorable outlook, 4% had a somewhat unfavorable outlook, 1% felt strongly unfavorable, while 5% responded with 'Don't know/Refused to answer.'[74]