Manila,  February 4 , 2023(AseanAll)--The Philippine government on February 4 reaffirmed its support for Timor Leste’s full membership to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

According to PNA, the reiteration was made during a meeting between Philippine 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.

Philippine DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo (left) and Timor Leste Foreign Minister Adaljiza A.X.R. Magno (right) 

“[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) of the Philippines 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.