MANILA, Nov 14 — The Asean Coordinating Council (ACC) has agreed that Timor-Leste will chair Asean in 2029, following Thailand, in accordance with the alphabetical rotation, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said the decision was made at today’s meeting after Timor-Leste and Myanmar expressed interest in becoming Asean chair and host for that year.

“Usually, we follow the alphabetical order. So, after Thailand, we will give it to Timor-Leste,” he told Malaysian media after attending Asean ministerial-level meetings here today.

Mohamad said Myanmar’s opportunity to chair Asean could be considered after Vietnam’s turn, based on special merit, but no decision had been made on the matter.

He said any such consideration would be made when the time came, while the alphabetical rotation system would remain in place for now.

Mohamad said Singapore would chair Asean next year, followed by Thailand in 2028, Timor-Leste in 2029 and then Vietnam.

In a related development, he said three countries, namely Slovenia, Slovakia and Cyprus, also signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) today, as the treaty marks its 50th anniversary since its signing in 1976.

“This clearly demonstrates the strong interest among external countries in engaging with, establishing ties and cooperating with Asean member states,” he said.

He said Asean received applications from countries interested in acceding to the TAC, becoming sectoral dialogue partners or upgrading their ties to full dialogue partner status, based on the added value they could bring to Asean, including strategic and geographical considerations, before the applications were submitted to member states for consideration. — Bernama