Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to working closely with ASEAN and its partners to strengthen regional cooperation in tackling emerging and transnational threats.

Addressing the commemorative ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in Manila, he stressed the need for practical and coordinated initiatives to bolster global resilience against pandemics, climate shocks, cyber incidents and supply chain disruptions, said a foreign ministry press release on Friday.

Khalilur said joint early-warning systems, shared risk assessments and regional crisis-response mechanisms could play an important role in strengthening collective preparedness and resilience against such challenges.

The Foreign Minister also outlined ways to address emerging threats posed by AI-enabled cybercrime as well as misinformation and disinformation spread through social media.

The TAC, signed five decades ago, establishes principles governing relations among states in the region, including mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.

Bangladesh acceded to the TAC in 2007, becoming one of the first South Asian countries to formalise a treaty-based commitment to ASEAN’s normative framework.

On the sidelines of the TAC anniversary events, Dr Khalilur Rahman also held separate bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Chile, the Netherlands and the Philippines, as well as Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The meetings covered a range of issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, energy supply, water-resource management, legal migration and the circular economy.

Khalilur Rahman is currently visiting Manila to attend the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and commemorative activities marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.