Abstract

Against the backdrop of global uncertainty, Timor-Leste will soon join Southeast Asia’s biggest regional group – ASEAN. Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership comes at a pivotal moment for a region that is simultaneously driving economic integration alongside growing demands for strategic coherence within ASEAN. In this lecture, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão will expound on how Timor-Leste is preparing for ASEAN membership and its priorities in ASEAN in the years to come. PM Gusmão will also share insights on Timor-Leste’s role in the region and how his country intends to navigate a complex external environment marked by shifting power dynamics.

About the Speaker

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, born in 1946 in Manatuto Municipality, led Timor-Leste’s Resistance and became the country’s first elected President after independence in 2002, later serving also as Prime Minister. A former guerrilla and political prisoner, he played a central role in building peace, democratic governance, and national development. He spearheaded the Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030 and led historic maritime boundary negotiations with Australia. Xanana Gusmão also leads Timor-Leste in the land and maritime boundary negotiations with Indonesia and champions the Blue Economy as a national priority. Re-elected in 2023, he currently serves as the Prime Minister of the IX Constitutional Government.