On 25 May 2025, H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in the Meeting of the Commission for the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), also known as the Bangkok Treaty, on the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit and other related meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

The Commission adopted the draft Addendum to the SEANWFZ Treaty, which affirms the consensus among ASEAN Member States to support the process leading to Timor-Leste’s accession to the Treaty. Dato' Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Chair of the SEANWFZ Commission, officially handed over the draft Addendum to Thailand, in its capacity as the Depositary State of the SEANWFZ Treaty. In this regard, Thailand will proceed with the necessary steps, including the final stage of facilitating the deposit of Timor-Leste’s Instrument of Accession to the Treaty.

 

This development marks another important milestone in Timor-Leste’s path toward full ASEAN membership and reflects ASEAN’s collective commitment to promoting peace, security, and the shared global objective of a world free of nuclear weapons.