 has granted Turkey full Dialogue Partner status, making it the 12th external partner to hold the designation and upgrading Ankara’s institutional relationship with the Southeast Asian bloc.){kind=link}
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has granted Turkey full Dialogue Partner status, making it the 12th external partner to hold the designation and upgrading Ankara’s institutional relationship with the Southeast Asian bloc.
The decision was adopted Tuesday at the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, according to the Philippine government and Turkey’s Foreign Ministry.
Dialogue Partner status enables greater cooperation with ASEAN across political-security, economic and socio-cultural issues. It is separate from membership in the organization, which is limited to Southeast Asian countries.
Turkey joins Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who is chairing the meeting, said the decision reflected international confidence in ASEAN and supported the bloc’s Community Vision 2045.
“This development demonstrates the continued confidence of our partners in ASEAN. We also view this as a positive step in realizing the aspirations laid down in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045,” Lazaro said following the meeting’s plenary session.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision as a milestone in Ankara’s relations with Southeast Asia.
“We express our gratitude to the Philippines, the current Chair of ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the member states for their resolve in adopting this important decision,” the ministry said.
Regarding the Establishment of Dialogue Partnership Between Türkiye and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) https://t.co/AwEYrHqcrQ pic.twitter.com/NzMYtZQ16r
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) July 21, 2026
“This step, which marks a significant milestone in our relations, will further advance our strategic cooperation with ASEAN on the basis of mutual benefit and shared prosperity.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also announced the decision on X, describing it as an important achievement for Turkey’s foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Fidan thanked ASEAN members, the Philippines as the bloc’s current chair and the ASEAN Secretariat for supporting Turkey’s application, which was formally submitted in 2024.
He said the designation would increase Turkey’s influence in the Asia-Pacific, advance Ankara’s long-term regional strategy and deepen political and economic cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.
Turkey acceded to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2010, establishing the basis for formal relations with the bloc.
It became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 2017, allowing cooperation in selected areas and applied for full Dialogue Partner status in 2024.
ASEAN agreed in principle in 2025 to grant Turkey the designation, subject to the completion of a review related to the bloc’s moratorium on new Dialogue Partners.
Turkey has sought closer relations with Asian countries and regional organizations under its Asia Anew Initiative, launched in 2019.
ASEAN also granted Germany and Qatar Sectoral Dialogue Partner status Tuesday. That designation provides structured cooperation with the bloc in specific fields but is more limited than a full Dialogue Partnership.
Founded in 1967, the Jakarta-based ASEAN has 11 members following Timor-Leste’s admission in October 2025. Its other members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.