Türkiye has become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announces, following a decision by ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Manila.
Fidan said on Tuesday in a post on X that the outcome reflects Türkiye's multi-dimensional foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership, one he described as capable of shaping the international agenda and the global system.
The status places Türkiye in a category immediately below full ASEAN membership, a position previously extended to only 11 countries worldwide, Fidan noted.
The Turkish foreign minister thanked his counterparts who supported Ankara's bid since it was formally submitted in 2024, along with Philippine officials in their capacity as ASEAN's current chair, and the ASEAN Secretariat for steering the process.
Global diplomacy
Fidan called the development highly significant for strengthening Türkiye's presence in the Asia-Pacific, which he identifies as the eastern axis of the country's global diplomacy.
He added that it will help advance Ankara's long-term strategy towards the ASEAN region and bring existing projects to fruition.
Türkiye laid the institutional groundwork for its ASEAN relationship in 2010, Fidan recalled, a partnership that has since expanded cooperation across multiple sectors and driven bilateral trade from $6.5 billion to $16 billion.
With Dialogue Partner status now secured, Fidan said Ankara expects deeper political and economic cooperation with the ASEAN bloc, a region home to nearly 700 million people and an economy worth more than $4 trillion.
The foreign minister closes his statement by wishing the new chapter proves beneficial for both Türkiye and ASEAN's member states.
ASEAN is one of the world's largest regional blocs, representing more than 680 million people and serving as a key driver of trade, economic growth and regional diplomacy in Southeast Asia.
