Saudi Arabia has signed a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday.
The treaty was signed by the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Indonesia’s Jakarta.
This came upon the directives of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Saudi Arabia's signing of the treaty underscores its commitment to bolstering close relations with East Asian countries in various fields. This move further solidifies its leading international role in achieving global security and peace, based on its approach of promoting dialogue, intensifying joint coordination, and enhancing multilateral cooperation with sisterly and friendly nations. It aims to foster greater stability, prosperity, and progress for all countries and peoples involved.
For his part, the Saudi FM hailed the exceptional relations that bind his country with ASEAN nations, expressing the Kingdom's keenness to broaden the scope of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the Southeast Asian bloc across various domains, particularly regarding shared areas of interest.
“Signing the treaty complements the Kingdom’s role in achieving international peace and security and strengthening dialogue and mutual coordination,” Prince Faisal noted.
He also said that the treaty, in alignment with the principles of the UN charter, will play a pivotal role in accomplishing sustainable development objectives and generating fresh economic prospects for all sides.
Also, the Saudi FM held a series of meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. He met with Singapore's Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Malaysia's Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir, and Brunei Darussalam's Second Foreign Minister Datu Erywan Pehin Yusof.
The talks reviewed the progress of the growing relations between Saudi Arabia and these countries and exploring ways to support and enhance them in all areas. They also discussed international issues of mutual interest.
