JAKARTA – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may soon start deliberations on Papua New Guinea’s accession to the regional bloc, according to Director General for ASEAN Cooperation at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry Sidharto R. Suryodipuro.
“The accession application as an ASEAN member has been received from Papua New Guinea, and the next procedure will follow… it will be based on the consensus among ASEAN countries,” he said after a press conference here on Thursday.
The consensus, he added, will determine whether Papua New Guinea will follow a similar path in its membership process as Timor-Leste.
He added that no amendment to the ASEAN Charter would be required to accommodate Papua New Guinea’s membership, since the charter stipulates “location in the recognized geographical region of Southeast Asia” as a membership criterion.
“The (region’s) definition itself is not black-and white or limited by a particular geographical coordinate,” he said, adding that Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are neighboring countries.
During the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in May 2025, President Prabowo Subianto endorsed Papua New Guinea’s accession to the Southeast Asian bloc.
“We would like to propose the participation of a close neighbor of ours, that is, Papua New Guinea. They have expressed their desire also to join ASEAN,” President Prabowo said during the summit’s plenary session on May 26, 2025.
Prabowo opined that amid the current geopolitical uncertainty, a stronger ASEAN would make Southeast Asia “be heard more in the discourse of the great powers.”
However, ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn indicated that a more cautious approach is necessary to respond to the latest ASEAN enlargement proposal.
“We need to address two aspects. The first, indeed, is the consensus from the 11 member states. The second one is the (ASEAN) Charter,” he said on May 28.
Currently, ASEAN member countries comprise Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. (Antara)