Türkiye becomes ASEAN’s 12th dialogue partner

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on July 21 welcomed Türkiye’s admission as the 12th dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), following an announcement by the Philippines’ top diplomat, Maria Theresa Lazaro, during a meeting in Manila.

In a statement shared on X, Fidan said the decision marked “another significant outcome,” and it placed Türkiye immediately below full membership within ASEAN, a status previously granted to only 11 countries.

He thanked his ASEAN counterparts, the Philippines as the bloc’s current chair and its Secretariat for supporting Ankara’s 2024 application, saying the move would strengthen Türkiye’s long-term engagement with the Asia-Pacific region and deepen political and economic cooperation with the bloc.

He noted that trade between Türkiye and ASEAN members has grown from $6.5 billion to $16 billion since institutional relations were established in 2010.

Fidan added that the new status would further strengthen political and economic cooperation with the nearly 700 million-strong region, whose economy is valued at more than $4 trillion.

In a separate statement, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision, saying it would “further advance our strategic cooperation with ASEAN.”

The bloc also granted Germany and Qatar sectoral dialogue partner status, according to the Philippines’ presidential office.

“These developments demonstrate the continued confidence of our partners in ASEAN. We also view this as a positive step in realizing the aspirations laid down in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045,” Lazaro told a news conference.

The ministers of the 11-member bloc met for their annual 59th meeting on July 21 in Manila.

Türkiye established institutional relations and signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, one of ASEAN’s founding documents, in 2010, before becoming a sectoral dialogue partner in 2017.

In recent years, Türkiye has increased exchanges and engagements with Asian nations under its Asia Anew Initiative launched in 2019.