Turkey becomes sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN

By Meltem Bulur and Ecenur Colak

MANILA (AA) - Turkey has become a sectoral dialogue partner for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the country's foreign minister said Sunday.

"Turkey has officially become the sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency in the Philippine capital Manila, where he attended the union's 50th Foreign Ministers' meeting.

Cavusoglu said Turkey first applied in 2015 and since then had been working intensively.

"This is, of course, an initiative that fits Turkey's multi-faced, proactive foreign policy," said the minister.

ASEAN -- a regional bloc of 10 countries comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- was founded on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cavusoglu said the relations with ASEAN members will further develop and Turkish businesspeople will benefit key opportunities in the future.

"In the upcoming period, the bilateral trade volume with ASEAN countries will increase faster. Also, important opportunities for our businessmen will emerge," added Cavusoglu.

Turkey formed ties with ASEAN in 1999 and attended its first summit in 2013.