Türkiye on Saturday marked the 59th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressing its desire to continue working with the bloc.
“As ASEAN’s newest Dialogue Partner, we will be pleased to continue working together to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
Türkiye was accepted as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in July during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Türkiye first sought to establish relations with ASEAN in 1999.
In 2010, it took a key step by acceding to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vietnam.
Türkiye was subsequently granted Sectoral Dialogue Partner status in 2017, coinciding with ASEAN’s 50th anniversary.
Bilateral trade has since grown significantly, rising from around $6.5 billion in 2010 to approximately $16 billion in recent years.
ASEAN currently has 11 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.
