ISLAMABAD – Pakistan urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to grant it Full Dialogue Partner status during a high-level roundtable held on Thursday at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) to commemorate the 58th ASEAN Day.
The roundtable, organised by the China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Committee in Islamabad (ACI), brought together ambassadors of ASEAN member states, Pakistani envoys posted in ASEAN capitals, and senior officials.
Addressing the event as chief guest, Additional Foreign Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui said ASEAN remained central to Pakistan’s regional outreach. “Pakistan views its partnership with ASEAN as a convergence of strategic destiny. The time has come to graduate this engagement to Full Dialogue Partnership,” he said.
Director General ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood noted a 23 percent rise in Pakistan-ASEAN trade during 2024 and pointed to synergies with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He also announced the launch of the ASEAN Corner and a dedicated ASEAN issue of the ISSI’s journal Pivot.
ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn, in a video message, acknowledged Pakistan’s contributions as ASEAN’s first Sectoral Dialogue Partner and expressed support for expanded cooperation under the ASEAN-Pakistan Practical Cooperation Areas 2024–2028.
Myanmar’s Ambassador Wunna Han, Acting ACI Chair, called for sustained support for ASEAN Vision 2045. Heads of Mission from Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia shared views on advancing political, economic, and socio-cultural collaboration with Pakistan.
Pakistani diplomats based in ASEAN countries reported progress on Practical Cooperation Areas and stressed expanding collaboration in fintech, the digital economy, trade, and cultural diplomacy.
Chairman ISSI Board Ambassador Khalid Mahmood reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to ASEAN-led forums and called for stronger institutional linkages. The event concluded with a symbolic ASEAN Day handshake and cake-cutting ceremony.