Participants at a photo session at the 9th Meeting of the ASEAN Co-coordinating Council Working Group Meeting (ACCWG) on Timor Leste’s ASEAN Membership application in the central city on Thursday. — VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — Việt Nam and ASEAN member countries will continuously support and share experience with Timor Leste in preparations for its ASEAN membership application, as well as assessing the country’s capability and readiness.

It’s one of major discussions among representatives of ASEAN member countries at the 9th Meeting of the ASEAN Co-coordinating Council Working Group Meeting (ACCWG) on Timor Leste’s ASEAN membership application in the central city on Thursday.

Participants reserved a half-day working session in discussing assistance activities for Timor Leste improving its capability and pre-operational works for joining ASEAN as a new member.

ASEAN member countries also agreed on survey reports of the ASEAN Politics and Security pillar (APSC) from last September.

Following the consensus among participants, ASEAN survey teams on Economics and Culture (ASEC) will evaluate the capability and readiness of Timor Leste in the context of economics and culture before joining ASEAN.

Reports by the survey teams will be submitted to the ASEAN Co-coordinating Council for approval by the end of this year.

Participants also agreed to give positive support to Timor Leste in strengthening and improving institutions, economics, income, living standards and knowledge of people.

Chairing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Vietnamese foreign affairs Nguyễn Quốc Dũng strongly emphasised that major task of the ACCWG will focus on the ASEAN membership application of Timor Leste.

He also asked the ACCWG for assessment of the impact from Timor Leste’s membership, before sending reports and recommendations to ASEAN foreign ministers and high-ranking officials’ meetings.

Dũng requested ACCWG’s survey teams focusing on assessments of three pillars – Politics and Security, Economics, and Culture – during working sessions in Timor Leste.

Timor Leste submitted an application for ASEAN membership in 2011, and ACCWG was formed in 2012 to evaluate the capability and three pillars of Timor Leste.

Reports and recommendations of ACCWG will be reported at the ASEAN Co-coordinating Council for approval soon.

The ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) – the third working session of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting – will close on March 6. — VNS