Lithuania signs Southeast Asia treaty to bolster business, trade ties, FM says

2026-07-24
BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys signed Lithuania's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in Manila on Friday, saying the move would bolster business and trade ties.

Budrys said the treaty establishes a legal and political framework for Lithuania to cooperate with both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an organisation and its individual member states.

According to the minister, the agreement opens new avenues in the economy, trade, investment, technology and science. The ASEAN region, home to more than 600 million people, offers Lithuanian businesses access to rapidly growing markets.

"Lithuania must be visible here because Lithuania has a strategic goal to expand its markets, diversify and be active globally," Budrys said.

The minister said cooperation could be further developed in digitalisation, economic transformation, energy and security.

The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia was originally signed in 1976 in Bali by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

There are currently 58 signatories to the treaty, including the European Union and several of its member states. Sweden, Poland and Romania joined the pact alongside Lithuania on Friday. The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, ratified the accession treaty on June 11.

During his visit to the Philippines, Budrys met with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to discuss expanding bilateral relations, international security issues, support for Ukraine, and opportunities for cooperation in innovation and security.

"The security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is inseparable today. Therefore, we seek even closer cooperation with Singapore in the fields of cybersecurity, resilience-building, security and defence," Budrys said.

Both sides confirmed their commitment to further strengthening the partnership between Lithuania and Singapore in security, technology, trade and international law.