Turkey becomes dialogue partner to ASEAN

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - AUGUST 06: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and vice chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Mehdi Eker speak to the press after a gala dinner hosted by Foreign Minister of Philippines, Alan Peter Cayetano within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional security forum in Manila, Philippines on August 06, 2017. Turkey has become sectoral dialogue partner to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced Sunday evening. Cavusoglu, who is representing Turkey in ASEAN's 50th Foreign Ministers Meeting in Philippines' capital Manila, answered journalists' questions. "We have official become sectoral dialogue partner to ASEAN. We have applied in 2015, ASEAN member countries appreciated our efforts and action plan," Cavusoglu said. Turkey's top diplomat also said becoming dialogue partner to ASEAN is a "suitable expansion to Turkey's proactive and multi-dimensional foreign policy." "We will continue to work with ASEAN and its member countries, with opening our embassy in Laos, Turkey would have embassies in all ASEAN member countries' capitals," he added. Although not a member of the 10-country bloc, Turkey formed ties with ASEAN in 1999, attended its first summit in 2013 and has applied for ASEAN partnership.(Footage by Tolga Ciplak/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)