ASEAN receives request for Serbia's AIPA associate membership

BELGRADE - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has received a request from the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia for Serbia's associate membership in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Serbia signed a document on its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia at last year's 43rd ASEAN summit, the National Assembly of Serbia said in a statement.

ASEAN is a political, economic and cultural organisation of southeast Asian states.

Since its inception in 1967 at the initiative of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the organisation has been joined by Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The most important fields of cooperation between ASEAN and signatories to the Treaty include economic cooperation, education and development of inter-human contacts, science, technology, innovation and sustainable development.

Serbia has acceded to the Treaty with the aim of continuing its cooperation with friendly countries of southeast Asia, which dates back from the era of the Non-Aligned Movement, the statement said.