On 24 July, 2016 the ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a statement on the Occasion of the 40^th Anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). This statement was initiated by Thailand and endorsed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers.

          For 40 years, the TAC has served as a foundation for the maintenance of peace, security, and stability in the region ever since the Treaty was signed in 1976. The cardinal principles contained in the TAC, such as peaceful settlement of disputes, the renunciation of threat or use of force, and promotion of rule of law, remain as relevant today as they were 40 years before.

          The Statement calls on all High Contracting Parties, comprising ten ASEAN Member States and twenty two other countries outside the region which also include all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to continue to respect the purposes and principles of the Treaty. As such, the Treaty has served and will continue to serve as an important example of a code of conduct agreed by key states both within and outside Southeast Asia to promote peaceful inter-state relations. It also helps promote ASEAN Centrality in the region.