The Enlargement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the process of expanding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the accession of new member states. This process began with ASEAN's five original members, who founded the association through the signing of the Bangkok Declaration in 1967. Since then, the ASEAN's membership has grown to ten with the accession of Cambodia in 1999.
Currently, two states are seeking accession to ASEAN: Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
Criteria
The ASEAN Charter defines the following criteria for membership:
The state must be geographically located in Southeast Asia. The state must be recognized by all ASEAN member states. The state must agree to be bound by the ASEAN Charter. The state must be able and willing to carry out the obligations of membership.
One of the obligations of membership is that a prospective member must agree to subscribe or accede to all the treaties, declarations and agreements in ASEAN, starting with those outlined in the Bangkok Declaration of 8 August 1967 and those elaborated and developed in various subsequent treaties, declarations and agreements of ASEAN. One common concern that must be addressed through negotiations is the ability of a prospective member to participate in ASEAN Free Trade Area and all other economic co-operation arrangements. One important means of orientation for a prospective member is its attendance at ASEAN meetings and participation in co-operation projects. Other obligations of membership are that a state must maintain embassies in all current member countries of the bloc, and the country must attend all ministerial meetings and summits.
The Bangkok Declaration lays down no conditions for membership other than location in Southeast Asia and the usual principles of inter-state relations. ASEAN has no membership criteria related to the character of government, ideological system and orientation, economic policy, or level of development. If there were such criteria for membership, a regional association would not be possible in Southeast Asia, given its diversity.
ASEAN senior officials agreed in 1983 that observer status should be granted only to potential members of ASEAN who satisfy the criteria set for ASEAN membership.
Criteria for ASEAN Regional Forum
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the multilateral dialogue among Asia Pacific countries is aimed for fostering dialogue and consultation, also promoting confidence-building and preventive diplomacy throughout the region. The membership criteria for ARF, as well as other Dialogue Partners, were outlined during the second ARF in 1996, in Jakarta, Indonesia. ARF ministers adopted the criteria that ARF participants must be sovereign states, which, at China's behest, was evidently meant to exclude Taiwan. They must "abide by and respect fully the decisions and statements already made by the ARF". The criteria stress that ASEAN members "automatically" take part in the ARF.
Historical enlargements
Founding members
ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met at the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers: Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand are considered as the organisation's Founding Fathers.
Continued expansion
In 1976, the Melanesian state of Papua New Guinea was accorded observer status. The bloc then grew when Brunei Darussalam became the sixth member after it joined on 8 January 1984, barely a week after the country became independent on 1 January.
Vietnam became an ASEAN observer state in 1993 and the seventh full member on 28 July 1995.
Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia
The latest three members of ASEAN began their application in joining the bloc in the 1990s.
Laos became an ASEAN observer at the 25th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Manila, Philippines, in July 1992. At the 28th AMM in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, the Lao foreign minister announced that he wished to see Laos join ASEAN in 1997, stated in a letter of application for membership dated 15 March 1996.
Cambodia was accorded observer status at the 28th AMM in July 1995. The Cambodian foreign minister applied for membership in a letter dated 23 March 1996. Like Laos, Cambodia also wished to join ASEAN in 1997.