Two new legal treaties were signed by the foreign ministers of the 10 nations at the 17th ASEAN summit in Hanoi last week.

Increased cooperation between ASEAN member states was cemented with new standard rules adopted for reference in multi-jurisdictional disputes and in the authorisation of legal transactions according to domestic laws. Legally binding agreements were inked on the 28th October in steps to realise the ASEAN Charter: a constitution enacted in December 2008 dedicated to strengthening regional connectivity.

Relevant ASEAN bodies are now tasked with finalising the remaining guidelines, terms of references and the rules of procedures. Among these include the “Rules for Conclusion of Agreements under International Law” and the “Rules of Procedures for External Parties’ Involvement in ASEAN Meetings or Cooperative Activities”.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in his opening address called for “efforts to create a real improvement in the culture of compliance” and added that ASEAN also needs to complete the full legal framework in line with its Charter, to improve the operational efficiency of ASEAN bodies through the strengthening of “coordination among executing agencies, resource mobilization and the incorporation of regional agreements”.ALB

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