KUALA LUMPUR: Timor-Leste became the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Timor-Leste applied for ASEAN membership in 2011. In 2022, the group's leaders agreed in principle to include Timor-Leste as a member state, granting it Observer Status in ASEAN meetings. This was followed by the adoption of the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in 2023, which guided its preparations to meet ASEAN’s membership criteria, including accession to ASEAN legal instruments and participation in meetings across all three ASEAN Community pillars.

In a statement, ASEAN stated, "In a historic occasion for the region, the Signing of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN took place at the

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