The ASEAN Foreign Ministers and Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr Kao Kim Hourn witnessed the signing of the Instruments of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) by the Republic of Panama, Republic of Serbia, and the State of Kuwait on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits today in Jakarta. The accession by the three states brings the number of High Contracting Parties (HCPs) to the TAC to 54. The growing number of the HCPs reflects the importance and relevance of the TAC in the current regional and global contexts.