SENAYANPOST - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed his support for Papua New Guinea to join ASEAN.
The statement was made by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya after accompanying Prabowo when attending the 46th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.
"President Prabowo Subianto proposed and supports efforts for Papua New Guinea to become a member of ASEAN," said Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya in his official statement, on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Previously, ASEAN was known to have 10 member countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Timor Leste currently has observer status and is scheduled to officially become the 11th member of ASEAN in October 2025.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya then said, when speaking at a plenary session that raised the topic of ASEAN's steps forward, President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of strengthening solidarity, maintaining regional stability, and increasing ASEAN's influence on the international map.
"With a total population of ASEAN members estimated to reach around 700 million people in 2025, or almost equivalent to the population of the European continent, ASEAN is a force to be reckoned with in the world,"
Related to this, President Prabowo Subianto stated that Papua New Guinea's joining ASEAN would have a positive impact in expanding cooperation networks and strengthening regional resilience.
On the other hand, geographically, Papua New Guinea is a neighboring country that directly borders the eastern region of Indonesia.
"Not only to maintain regional stability in ASEAN, Papua New Guinea's joining will also make ASEAN more influential at the global level," concluded Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.