KUALA LUMPUR: Asean is set to welcome Algeria and Uruguay as new signatories to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) today. 

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings, said Asean principles are now being embraced well beyond the region.

He added that Malaysia, on Friday, will host the Fourth Cooperation Among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development, reaffirming Asean's solidarity with the Palestinian people.

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The TAC, first signed in 1976, remains one of Asean's key instruments for promoting peaceful interstate relations.

Recently, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin at a curtain-raiser press conference ahead of the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings had said that TAC continues to gain momentum, with more countries expressing interest in joining the pact. (Link: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2025/07/1240737/more-countries-want-j...)

Meanwhile, Mohamad said Asean has come a long way since its inception, 58 years ago. 

"On that day, five of our leaders gathered to plant the seeds of our community, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.

"This was a major turning point in the history of the region. In 1967, Asean was born into a world defined by nuclear brinkmanship and proxy wars being fought across the globe.

"Amid such tensions, it was a visionary act to bring five Southeast Asian nations together in the name of peace.

"In a world fragmented by conflict, our founders chose to build bridges and uplift multilateralism," he said. 

He said today, Asean has never shied away from ambition. 

"Our work carries the hopes and futures of the nearly 700 million souls we represent."