Slovenia, Slovakia, and Cyprus officially joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) on Saturday, bringing the total number of signatories to 65.
The accession ceremony, held on the sidelines of the 49th ASEAN Summit in Pasay City, was witnessed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.
The TAC serves as the core pact for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, promoting cooperation, non-interference, non-aggression, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. According to the Philippine News Agency, the instruments of accession were signed by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tone Kajzer, and Cyprus Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Evi Tsolaki.
Lazaro said that the expansion of the treaty reflects a growing international interest in sustaining peace within Southeast Asia.
“This is particularly important to the current geopolitical environment we face today, where escalating tensions, strategic competition, rivalries, and protracted conflicts continue to challenge the foundations of global peace and stability,” she said.
“The far-reaching consequences of these developments underscore the need for a concerted and persistent effort to promote dialogue in the peaceful resolution of disputes,” she added.
Kajzer said that Slovenia intends to increase its engagement with the bloc, describing current relations as “too weak.” He said maintaining an international rules-based order is important, warning that if powerful nations use force to advance their interests, the global security architecture could erode.
“If we would allow or somehow accept one country which is very powerful to, let’s say, realize their interest with force, that would mean the erosion of the international rules-based order,” he said.
“The people who are separating this and saying Middle East is one thing, Ukraine is one thing, South China Sea (is one thing), no, I think everything is interconnected because the international security architecture is basically resting on those fundamentals,” he said.
Tsolaki said that Cyprus is interested in developing ties with the bloc regarding trade, investment, maritime security, and sustainable development. She added that the nation is eager to “serve as bridge connecting regions and powers.”
The Philippines, currently serving as ASEAN chair, received the accession instruments before transferring them to the ASEAN Secretariat. The addition of these three states follows the accession of Poland, Lithuania, Romania, and Sweden in July.
