KUALA LUMPUR – East Timor's prime minister pledged Sunday that his country would be a productive member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as it was formally admitted to the bloc in its first expansion since the 1990s.

After the flag of East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, was added to the other 10 on the stage at a formal ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told the other leaders that “today, history is made.”

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“For the people of Timor Leste this is not only a dream realized but a powerful affirmation of our journey,” he said.

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.

The little-known nation wedged between Indonesia and Aus

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