50th Anniversary Commemoration Emphasizing the Increasing International Trust in the TAC Principle

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang. (Okta/Infomed/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - The 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia or the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) confirms the increasing international trust in the principles of the TAC.

The Philippines will hold a 50th anniversary of TAC in the series of the '59th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Post-Ministerial Conferences' (AMM/PMC) and related meetings held since the beginning of the week on Friday (24/7). Four countries will join to sign the accession of TAC, so that a total of 63 countries will be there, since TAC was first signed in 1976.

"Over the past five decades, TAC has become one of ASEAN's key instruments in maintaining stability and peace in the region, which prioritizes dialogue, building trust, and peaceful resolution of conflicts," said the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, to VOI.id, as quoted Friday (24/7).

"The 50th anniversary of TAC also confirms the increasing international trust in the principles of TAC, as reflected by the continued increase in High Contacting Parties," he said.

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference at the International Media Center, Manila on Thursday evening, Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa P. Lazaro revealed that there were four countries that would sign the TAC accession today.

"Tomorrow (today), we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. We will welcome four new member countries that have a high level of agreement, namely Sweden, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania represented by their respective foreign ministers, and hold the first high-level conference of member countries, the first meeting since the Treaty was signed in 1976," said Foreign Minister Lazaro.

It is known that the TAC was first signed by Indonesian President Soeharto, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn and Thai Prime Minister Kukrit Pramoj in Bali on February 24, 1976.

Over time, TAC has undergone three amendments through protocols to open up to parties outside ASEAN to join, namely the First Protocol (1987) opened the opportunity for countries outside the Southeast Asian Region to participate and ratify TAC, the Second Protocol (1998) allowed regional organizations of sovereign countries to join, and the Third Protocol (2010) provided adjustments related to accession for non-regional countries.

The principles contained in the TAC are mutual respect; non-intervention; peaceful settlement of disputes; rejection of threats or use of force; and effective cooperation.

So far, 59 countries have signed the TAC, with the latest being Uzbekistan in November last year. This number will increase with the joining of four countries today. In addition, all permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5), the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France have also signed the TAC accession.

"Indonesia encourages all High Contracting Parties to continue to uphold the principles of the TAC and make it a foundation for real cooperation and concrete steps in responding to today's global challenges," concluded Yvonne.