Norway on July 1 signed an amity and cooperation treaty with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei, vowing to further develop ties with the 10-member regional bloc.

The signing ceremony of the amity and cooperation treaty

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide affirmed that the accession to the treaty is an extension of Norway’s long-standing engagement in the region and its commitments to multilateralism.

The minister announced a 7-million-USD Norwegian ASE AN Regional Initiatives Fund as a step to further his country’s engagement with ASEAN.

The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia is a pact on non-aggression and cooperation between ASEAN members and partners.

First signed by the then ASEAN members of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines in 1976, the non-ASEAN parties to the treaty include China, India, Japan, the United States , Russia and the European Union.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Source: VNA)