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Three countries sign cooperation treaty with ASEAN
Serbia, Panama and Kuwait became the 52nd, 53rd and 54th countries to sign the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation or TAC.
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Kuwait's Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah (left), Serbia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic (second left), Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (center), Panama's Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Franco (second right), and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn pose for a group photo during a signing ceremony of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) ahead of the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Sep. 4, 2023. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
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erbia, Panama and Kuwait signed on Monday the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) with ASEAN, expanding the bloc’s roster of cooperation in the Middle East, Europe and Central America.
First signed by member states in 1976, the ASEAN TAC is a code of conduct in interstate relations in Southeast Asia that embodies principles of peaceful and friendly cooperation. The latest amendment to the treaty took place in 2010 to allow countries from outside the region to become signatories.
Monday’s signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, Panamanian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Franco and Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad al Sabah signed the treaty, witnessed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi.
Serbia, Panama and Kuwait became the 52nd, 53rd and 54th countries to sign the TAC, respectively. Saudi Arabia previously signed the treaty during the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in July.
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The bloc welcomed the three countries signing the TAC, which showed their commitment to forging friendly relations and the importance of dialogue and peaceful coexistence in the region. The increasing number of TAC signatories reflected a growing enthusiasm for the bloc, which must be used to promote stability in the region and beyond, Retno said on Monday.
“Amid the current global dynamics marked with rivalries and a trust deficit, we must further solidify the values of the TAC to bolster trust and confidence,” she added.
Retno called on ASEAN and dialogue partners to forge cooperation in addressing common challenges, such as the climate crisis and transnational organized crime, and to push for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
