The Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand — Member Countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations — hereinafter referrred to as ASEAN, of the one part, and

The Council of the European Communities, of the other part,

Having regard to the friendly relations and traditional links between the member countries of ASEAN and the Member States of the Community;

Affirming their common commitment to support mutually the efforts of ASEAN and the Community to create and to strengthen regional organisations committed to economic growth, social progress and cultural development and aiming to provide an element of balance in international relations;

Inspired by their common will to consolidate, deepen and diversify their commercial and economic relations to the full extent of their growing capacity to meet each other's requirements on the basis of comparative advantage and mutual benefit;

Affirming their willingness to contribute to the expansion of international trade in order to achieve greater economic growth and social progress;

Conscious that such co-operation will be between equal partners but will take into account the level of development of the member countries of ASEAN and the emergence of ASEAN as a viable and cohesive grouping, which has contributed to the stability and peace in Southeast Asia;

Persuaded that such co-operation should be realised in an evolutionary and pragmatic fashion as their policies develop;

Affirming their common will to contribute to a new phase of international economic co-operation and to facilitate the development of their respective human and material resources on the basis of freedom, equality and justice;

Have decided to conclude a Co-operation Agreement and to this end have designated as their plenipotentiaries:

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia:

Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja,

Minister of Foreign Affairs;

The Government of Malaysia:

Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeen,

Minister of Foreign Affairs;

The Government of the Republic of Singapore:

S. Rajaratnam,

Minister for Foreign Affairs;

The Government of the Kingdom of Thailand:

Air Chief Marshal Siddhi Savetsila,

Minister of Foreign Affairs;