East Timor formally admitted to ASEAN in the group’s first expansion since the 1990s

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — East Timor was formally admitted Sunday into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 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.