Malaysia, September 9-12, 2025

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the FALINTIL - Timor-Leste Defense Forces (F-FDTL), Major General Calisto Santos "Coliati," representing His Excellency Lieutenant General Falur Rate Laek, participated in the ASEAN Chiefs of Staff Meeting.

Major General Coliati participated in the 22nd ASEAN Chiefs of Staff Meeting (ACDFM) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from September 9-12, 2025.

The high-level regional security forum brought together the Chiefs of Staff of ASEAN member states, including Timor-Leste, to exchange perspectives and visions on multilateral cooperation to address regional security challenges. In his remarks, Major General Coliati stated that, as an observer state, Timor-Leste recognizes with particular interest ASEAN's demonstrated capacity for conflict resolution, as evidenced by the recent mediation of the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. This achievement represents a substantial advancement in the regional security architecture, effectively balancing the principle of non-interference with a pragmatic commitment to regional stability.

He emphasized that the F-FDTL remains dedicated and strives to learn from and work closely with ASEAN counterparts to strengthen regional resilience in the face of rapidly evolving security challenges.

Major General Coliati also had the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with General Tan Sri HJ Mohd Nizam Bin HJ Jaffar, Chief of Defence Force of the Malaysian Armed Forces, as host of the ACDFM, as well as with General Vong Pisen of Cambodia. Meanwhile, next year, the Armed Forces of the Philippines will host the 23rd ACDFM in Manila in May 2026.

F-FDTL Media