Romania on Friday joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, after the diplomatic steps of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states in the last two years.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the Minister of Education and Research, Mihai Dimian, signed the instrument of accession to this treaty.

'The signing ceremony took place in Manila, in the Republic of the Philippines, as part of the events marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, organised by the Philippine Presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),' MAE reported on Friday.

The signing of the instrument of accession to the treaty reconfirmed Romania's commitment to deepening cooperation with ASEAN and its member states, including by establishing in the coming years a sectoral dialogue partnership in the fields of higher education, digital skills, cybersecurity, research and innovation.

'The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, adopted on February 24, 1976 by the founding members of ASEAN, laid the foundations for peace, friendship and cooperation in the Southeast Asian region. Through the principles promoted such as mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and renunciation of the threat or use of force, the treaty has become a landmark of regional stability and trust,' said MAE.

According to the ministry, the relevance of the treaty is also reflected in the increase in the number of signatory parties, from five ASEAN states in 1976 to 64 today, respectively 63 states from all continents and the European Union.

Along with Romania, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden also joined the treaty in the same context.

Founded in 1967, ASEAN brings together 11 nations - the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, East Timor - with a combined population of approximately 690 million inhabitants, and a combined GDP of over USD 3,000 billion.

The European Union (EU) has established relations at political level with ASEAN, and in 2020 the EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership was signed, with both sides having the ambition to promote bilateral relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Daniel Alexandru Florea; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)