East Timor formally joins ASEAN as 11th member in group’s first expansion since the 1990s

East Timor was formally admitted Sunday into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the group’s first expansion since the 1990s.

The integration of the region’s youngest and poorest nation — with just 1.4 million people — is being hailed as a symbolic step for regional inclusivity. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste was a Portuguese colony for over four centuries before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion.

ASEAN membership gives East Timor access to the bloc’s free trade deals, investment opportunities and a broader regional market — vital for diversifying an economy long reliant on oil and gas.