On 24 February 1976, the
treaty was signed into force by the
leaders of the original members of ASEAN. Other
members acceded to it upon or before joining the bloc. It was amended on 15 December 1987 by a
protocol to open the document for accession by
states outside
Southeast Asia, and again on 25 July 1998, to condition such accession on the consent of all member states. On 23 July 2001, the parties established the
rules of procedure of the treaty's High Council, which was stipulated in Article 14 of the document. On 7 October 2003, during the
annual summit, a declaration was released that says: : ''"A High Council of [the treaty] shall be the important component in the
ASEAN Security Community since it reflects ASEAN's commitment to resolve all differences, disputes and conflicts peacefully."'' Papua New Guinea was the first country outside ASEAN to sign the treaty in 1989. , sixteen countries outside the bloc have acceded to the treaty. On 22 July 2009,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed the TAC on behalf of the United States. The
European Union announced in 2009 its intention to accede as soon as the treaty would be amended to allow for the accession of non-states and joined accordingly on 12 July 2012. The treaty has been endorsed by the
General Assembly stating that: :
"The purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and its provisions for the pacific settlement of regional disputes and for regional co-operation to achieve peace, amity and friendship among the peoples of Southeast Asia [are] in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations." ==Principles==