ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings Conclude with Regional Agreements and New Partnerships
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded their meetings in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on Friday by adopting new regional agreements, expanding the association’s partnerships, and reaffirming their positions on key security, political, and economic issues.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Teresa Lazaro, whose country holds the ASEAN chairmanship, said at a press conference that the ASEAN foreign ministers, during their 59th meeting and related sessions that lasted four days, approved a joint statement outlining the unified positions of member states on regional and international issues raised before the association. She added that the ministers agreed on guidelines governing ASEAN’s communication mechanisms with parties to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, accepted Turkey as ASEAN’s 12th dialogue partner, and granted Germany and Qatar the status of sectoral dialogue partners.
She noted that ASEAN also held meetings with Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, and Brazil, reflecting growing interest from external countries in developing political, economic, and security cooperation with Southeast Asian nations.
Lazaro mentioned that the ministers welcomed the United Kingdom’s participation as the 28th participant in the Regional Forum, which serves as a platform for political and security dialogue between ASEAN member states and their partners from Asia, Europe, and North America.
She added that the meetings included the ASEAN Plus Three gathering, which brings together ASEAN member states with China, Japan, and South Korea.
She reported that the ministers held the 16th meeting of the East Asia Summit foreign ministers, where they discussed geopolitical tensions, cross-border challenges, and preparations for the 21st East Asia Summit, which the Philippines is scheduled to host next November.
Regarding the crisis in Myanmar, Lazaro stated that ASEAN foreign ministers reiterated that the “Five-Point Consensus” remains the association’s primary framework for addressing the crisis there and promoting a peaceful resolution.
On developments in the Middle East, she said that foreign ministers issued a statement expressing “deep concern” over the situation, calling on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint,” avoid any steps that could escalate the conflict, and emphasizing the importance of respecting international law and resorting to dialogue and diplomacy.
ASEAN was established in 1967 and comprises 11 member states: the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste. The association seeks to enhance political, security, and economic cooperation, and to consolidate stability and dialogue among regional countries and their external partners.
