East Timor joins ASEAN in the bloc's first expansion since the 1990s

East Timor has been formally admitted to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), marking the bloc's first expansion since the 1990s. The admission, a process over a decade in the making, was celebrated as a "dream realized" by East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who highlighted its importance for boosting the nation's struggling economy. This expansion, the first since Cambodia joined in 1999, underscores ASEAN's commitment to inclusivity and regionalism amidst geopolitical shifts.