Serbia signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, reported the Serbian state TV (RTS) in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday.
Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic signed the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty in the presence of foreign ministers of ASEAN member states.
Prior to the signing ceremony, Dacic described the event as “remarkable for promoting cooperation with “our friends, the countries of Southeast Asia.”
“As you know, Serbia is the successor of the former Yugoslavia. We are proud of the decade-long friendship and strong ties with the countries of Southeast Asia that date back to the 1950s, the period when the Non-Aligned Movement was founded,” said Dacic.
He recalled that former leaders of Yugoslavia and Indonesia, Josip Broz Tito and Sukarno, respectively, were among the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement.
“We share extremely friendly feelings with Indonesia and the other members of the ASEAN. The principles we have abided by all these years are also the principles of the ASEAN: mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, national identity, non-interference in the internal matters of other states, amicable resolution of disputes,” Dacic said.
In addition to Serbia, Panama and Kuwait are also due to join ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
Serbia’s bid to join the alliance was unanimously approved at the 56th plenary session of the ASEAN’s Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place in Jakarta on July 12.
The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Serbia has increasing interest in collaborating with ASEAN countries in light of the new international situation and the fact that, in terms of foreign policy, both Serbia and the ASEAN members adhere to the same principles.
(Al-Jazeera Balkans, 04.09.2023)
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