Cambodia Makes a Record on Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia


Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen as the Chair of ASEAN 2022 said the signing of the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) by seven countries this year can be the first record in TAC history.
At a press conference here on Nov. 13, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said there are two main reasons behind this achievement.
“First, the ASEAN’s external partners increasingly see the growing role of ASEAN in the world, which has attracted their respective attentions. Second, in the past three years, due to COVID-19, Vietnam and Brunei could not host the ASEAN Summits physically, that is why no country could not come to sign the Instrument of Accession to TAC,” he said.

Regarding this matter, Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Kung Phoak said this can be regarded as a big milestone during Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.

This year, the seven nations that have signed the Instrument of Accession to TAC are Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Greece, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

TAC was established in 1976 and embodies universal principles of peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation among States in Southeast Asia. It is a legally-binding code for inter-state relations in the region and beyond. The Treaty has been amended three times, in 1987, 1998, and 2010, respectively, to allow for accession by states outside Southeast Asia as well as for regional organisations whose members are sovereign states, among others.

As of November 2022, there are 50 High Contracting Parties to the TAC.