User:Mehdi Mansouri 1373/sandbox

Introduction of ASEAN
ASEAN has 10 members, including: Founding countries: Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Other ASEAN members: Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Significance of ASEAN: ASEAN has 630 million population and its combined GDP reached to $2.4 trillion. At the result, after US, China, Japan and European Union, ASEAN is fifth world economy and many countries ask for cooperation with this organization and accession to organization’s treaty. .now, ASEAN has 6 free-trade agreements with other regional economies.

Accession to TAC pact
Basic treaty of ASEAN that established code of conducts to rule member state’s relation is The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). ASEAN member states agreed to requests by Iran, Chile, Morocco and Egypt to join TAC in 2014 in Laos. In 2017, Iran’s Foreign Minister refuse to participate and sign accession pact in ASEAN ministerial conference in Philippines due to non-approving Iran’s accession bill in Iran and some of ASEAN member’s legislative organs. Finally, Iran formally jointed to Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) after signing the document on Iran’s membership at 51st gathering ASEAN foreign ministers on July 30 in Singapore. Based on 3 condition for TAC membership, ASEAN consensus to accept Iran’s jointing TAC demonstrate significance of ties with Iran a pivotal actor in regional and international arena.

According to some idea regarding shifting balance of power and economy from the west to the east and ASEAN becoming more powerful in near future and ASEAN close relationship with some of the economic giant including Japan, South Korea, India and China, Iran seeks to closer collaboration with ASEAN for uplifting its economy and its part of its long-term look east policy.

Iranian domestic challenge regarding accession to TAC
a bill for jointing to ASEAN presented to Iran’s parliament in 2013. After objection by Iran’s Guardian Council on Iran’s parliament bill on jointing to TAC regarding founding some problems in this issue, due to persistence of Majlis to determine the final settlement, this dispute formally referred to Expediency Council and finally approved on 7 July 2018 after removing differences in the council. As a result, president Rouhani in a letter to the foreign ministry has formally announced Iran’s membership in ASEAN. Interaction with ASEAN is important so badly that Iran president Rouhani described it as priority to the government of Iran and stress on further development of ties with ASEAN member countries in the meeting with Vietnam president and high-ranking delegations of this country in Tehran.

Role of ECO in development of Iran-ASEAN relations
Iran’s policy for trying cooperation between ECO and ASEAN is based on high importance to region-to-region cooperation that stressed by Iran’s accredited ambassador to ASEAN in a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General. This issue is also stressed by Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif in a meeting with Singaporeˈs law and Foreign minister. Zarif suggested development of economic cooperation between ASEAN and ECO member states. Furthermore, Iran president Rouhani in a meeting with Singapore FM stressed Iran’s capacity to connection between ASEAN and ECO. This suggest led to an ECO and ASEAN Joint session on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meetings in 2014 which was co-chaired by Iran and Malaysia. In this meeting, two sides stressed on supporting private sectors of member state for reaching their goal and plan a tourism meeting in November 2014.

Iran-ASEAN relations in 2019
On January 1 2019, Thailand became chairman of ASEAN. Based on Iran’s accession to TAC and friendly relation between Iran and Thailand, Thailand promised to maintain its effort to further enhancement of collaboration between two sides as ASEAN Dialogue Partner, which was described by Thai ambassador to Tehran in Thailand national day ceremony in its embassy in Tehran.

Iran-ASEAN economic relations
Iran follow its economic relations with ASEAN by economic transaction with its members. The biggest ASEAN member state economic partner of Iran are: 1- Thailand: $619 million Economic Transaction, 53% grew compared to previous fiscal years. 24% of Iran trade with all ASEAN states 2- Singapore: $487 million Economic Transaction, 10% grew compared to previous fiscal years 3- Malaysia: $486.5 million Economic Transaction, 69% grew compared to previous fiscal years 4- Indonesia: $485 million 5- Vietnam: $325 million Iran’s export to ASEAN reached to $1.28 included steel, pistachio, butane, propane and figs and Iran’s imports from ASEAN amounted to $1.34 billion.