ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia

On this day, we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), which was signed on 24 February 1976 in Bali, Indonesia during the first ASEAN Summit.
We reaffirm the importance and relevance of the TAC as a foundational code of conduct for interstate relations in the region and a cornerstone of regional peace and stability.
We recall that the purpose of the TAC is to promote perpetual peace, everlasting amity and cooperation amongst the peoples in Southeast Asia, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.
We reaffirm the commitment to strengthen mutual trust and confidence, promote dialogue and cooperation in inter-state relations, in accordance with the fundamental principles of the TAC: mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all nations; the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion; non-interference in the internal affairs of one another; settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means; renunciation of the threat or use of force; and effective cooperation amongst themselves.