President Prabowo Proposes and Supports PNG to Become a Member of ASEAN

Kuala Lumpur: President Prabowo Subianto proposed and expressed his support for Papua New Guinea (PNG) to join ASEAN. The President's proposal was conveyed by Cabinet Secretary, Teddy Indra Wijaya in his written statement after accompanying President Prabowo at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, on Monday, May 26, 2025.

"President Prabowo proposed and supports efforts for Papua New Guinea to become a member of ASEAN," said Cabinet Secretary Teddy, quoted from Setkab.go.id, May 27, 2025.

Currently, ASEAN has 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.

According to Cabinet Secretary Teddy, when speaking at a plenary session that raised the topic of ASEAN's future steps, President Prabowo 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," he continued.

To that end, President Prabowo stated that PNG's joining ASEAN would have a positive impact in expanding cooperation networks and strengthening regional resilience. Geographically, PNG is a neighbouring country that directly borders the eastern region of Indonesia.

"Not only to maintain regional stability in ASEAN, the joining of Papua New Guinea will also make ASEAN more influential at the global level," concluded Cabinet Secretary Teddy in his statement.