Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 26 -- Timor-Leste officially joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), becoming the bloc's 11th member state at the 47th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 26.

The milestone was marked by the historic signing ceremony of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste to ASEAN, witnessed by leaders of the ten other member countries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the admission of Timor-Leste gives new meaning to the vision of an inclusive and united ASEAN.

This milestone "completes the ASEAN family, reaffirming the shared destiny and deep sense of regional solidarity," he said. Within this community, Timor-Leste's development and its str...