Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed to a roadmap for Timor Leste’s admission next year, a statement from the 10-member bloc said.

The tiny half-island nation will hold observer status while it completes a series of economic and political milestones, with full membership expected at the ASEAN Summit in November 2023.

The group agreed “in principle to admit Timor Leste to be the 11th member of ASEAN,” the statement read.

Timor Leste had waited more than a decade for acceptance, as concerns over its political and economic stability held up approval.