ASEAN welcomes Türkiye as its first Middle East dialogue partner

ASEAN foreign ministers formally agreed to grant Türkiye dialogue partner status, making it the bloc's first dialogue partner from the Middle East, according to the ASEAN joint communiqué issued after their annual meeting in Manila.

When ASEAN leaders met in Kuala Lumpur last November, they agreed in principle to admit Türkiye as the bloc's 12th dialogue partner. The country has been an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner since 2017.

The communiqué also said a plan of action would be developed to implement the partnership.

ASEAN's dialogue partners are China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom.

ASEAN also granted Germany and Qatar sectoral dialogue partner status, said Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary and AMM Chairperson Ma Theresa Lazaro.

Germany was granted the status in recognition of its longstanding support for ASEAN and its readiness to contribute further to ASEAN Community-building, said Lazaro.

Qatar, on the other hand, received the same status due to its growing cooperation with ASEAN in diplomacy, development, humanitarian assistance, education and connectivity, as well as its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

Meanwhile, four European countries signed the regional code of conduct by acceding to the TAC at the annual ASEAN meeting in Manila.

Poland, Romania, Sweden and Lithuania formally acceded to the 1976 TAC at the 59th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila.

The treaty now has 64 signatories, including the 11-member bloc, representing all geographical regions and one-third of the United Nations' member states. The treaty marks its 50th anniversary this year.

The regional code of conduct enshrined in the TAC includes mutual respect for sovereignty, non-interference, the non-use of force, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.