On the 54^th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN in accordance with the Bangkok Declaration on August 8, 1967, the embassies of ASEAN countries with residence in Timor-Leste, namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, jointly organized the ASEAN Day 2021 activities in Dili on August 9, 2021 between 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. The Embassy of Indonesia hosted the ceremony this year according to the rotating practice.

                   Mrs. Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste was a guest of honor along with distinguished guests such as the ASEAN dialogue partners residing in Timor-Leste as well as executives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste.

                   The activities comprised of ASEAN flag raising ceremony and Remarks delivered by the Indonesian Ambassador followed by Remarks from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste.  Their Remarks mentioned intention for cooperation in the ASEAN community which has leaded to stability, security and prosperity in the region and international arena.

                   Timor-Leste has applied to be a member of ASEAN since 2011 which has been in the process of assessing Timor-Leste’s readiness for the accession according to the ASEAN Charter.  At the same time, ASEAN members have reaffirmed their obligations to provide assistances to Timor-Leste in order to build Timor-Leste’s capacity in many fields for the accession to ASEAN in the future.