Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile

Today Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgardo Riveros, subscribed Chile to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, along with Egypt and Morocco in the framework of the 28th and 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. With the signing, Chile and Brazil are the only two countries in Latin America associated with this regional organization.

The accession is a historic milestone for the relationship of Chile with Asia Pacific. The relationship consolidates decades of approaches with each State member of ASEAN. It is also an important progress for Chile to enter to the ASEAN Regional Forum, the main forum on regional security matters. "This is a significant step forward for our country. It is an honorary distinction for Chile to have been invited to be part of this treaty", affirmed the national authority.

The advance will open a constructive dialogue with countries of Southeast Asia and also is directly related to our participation in APEC, strengthening our trade agreement network and boosting a greater cooperation South-to-South.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is integrated by Brunei, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. The ASEAN group consists of emerging economies with a combined population of 629 million people. They play a strategic and crucial role in the Asia Pacific region and have great potential for Chile in matters of cooperation and business. The group has the 7th greatest GDP worldwide.

"ASEAN is the third most relevant market for Chile. The trade between Chile and this organization has had an annual growth rate of 5% since 2010 to date, represented in 3.126 dollars in 2015. These numbers explain the importance of ASEAN's invitation to participate in the agreement for Chile", added Deputy Minister Riveros.