EAST TIMOR AND ASEAN

Abstract

The article examines the development of East Timor from the arrival of the Portuguese to its shores in the first quarter of the 16th century to the present day. At the beginning, the colonial period is briefly presented, during which East Timor was officially ruled by Portugal from 1702 to 1975 (with interruptions from 1812 to 1815, when the entire island of Timor was ruled by Great Britain and from 1942 to 1945, when the colony was occupied by Japan). Attention is then drawn to the period of Indonesian occupation from December 1975 to October 1999, followed by the administration of the United Nations Interim Administration in East Timor from late October 1999 to May 2002. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of the political and economic development of East Timor since the restoration of independence on May 20, 2002 until now. In this regard, special attention is paid to the efforts of the leadership of East Timor, for the country to be accepted as an equal member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The accession process is expected to be completed during Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship in 2023. After the overthrow of Suharto in May 1998, the democratization of Indonesia began, which gradually became one of the biggest supporters of East Timor's admission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. At the end of the article, attention is paid to the economy of East Timor and the prospects for its development.