On 24 February 1976, the
treaty was signed into force by the
leaders of the original members of ASEAN,[1]Lee Kuan Yew,
Ferdinand Marcos,
DatukHussein Onn,
Kukrit Pramoj, and
Suharto.[2] Other
membersacceded to it upon or before joining the bloc. It was amended on 15 December 1987 by a
protocol to open the document for accession by
states outside
Southeast Asia,[3] and again on 25 July 1998, to condition such accession on the consent of all member states.[4] On 23 July 2001, the parties established the
rules of procedure of the treaty's High Council, which was stipulated in Article 14 of the document.[5] On 7 October 2003, during the
annual summit, a declaration was released that says:[6]
"A High Council of [the treaty] shall be the important component in the
ASEAN Security Community since it reflects ASEAN's commitment to resolve all differences, disputes and conflicts peacefully."
Papua New Guinea was the first country outside ASEAN to sign the treaty in 1989. As of July 2009[update], sixteen countries outside the bloc have acceded to the treaty. On 22 July 2009,
Secretary of StateHillary Clinton signed the TAC on behalf of the United States.[7] The
European Union announced in 2009 its intention to accede as soon as the treaty would be amended to allow for the accession of non-states[8][9][10] and joined accordingly on 12 July 2012.[11]
"The purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and its provisions for the
pacific settlement of regional disputes and for regional co-operation to achieve peace, amity and friendship among the peoples of Southeast Asia [are] in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations."
Principles
The purpose of the Treaty is to promote perpetual
peace, everlasting
amity and
co-operation among the people of Southeast Asia which would contribute to their strength, solidarity, and closer relationship. In their relations with one another, the High Contracting Parties shall be guided by the following fundamental principles;[2]
a. mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all nations,
b. the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion,
c. non-interference in the internal affairs of one another,
d. settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful means,
e. renunciation of the threat or use of force, and
f. effective co-operation among themselves.
Parties
The following table lists the parties in the order of the dates on which they entered into the treaty:
^
abForty-seventh session of the General Assembly A/C.1/47/L.24 30 October 1992
"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2012.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)