Celik says the dialogue partnership will provide a stronger platform for regular high-level dialogue and more visibility of Türkiye in the region.
Over time, it may foster a more favourable environment for commercial relations and greater business engagement, she says.
Türkiye and ASEAN are expected to have greater collaboration as the Asian bloc was “one of the pioneers of the connectivity agenda” in the world, she notes.
“Türkiye can be seen as a gateway country for ASEAN economies opening into European and Middle Eastern markets,” she says, noting that the bloc will offer Türkiye a gateway platform to gain easier access into the Asian markets.
According to Durmaz, the new status opens important institutional platforms and diplomatic channels through which Türkiye can advance economic cooperation.
Türkiye can participate more regularly in ASEAN Economic Ministers’ consultations with Dialogue Partners and, where appropriate, in sectoral bodies and working groups.
These can support joint initiatives in trade facilitation, digital economy, green transition, logistics, transport connectivity and supply-chain resilience, he says.
“(The) Dialogue Partner status should be seen not as an economic outcome in itself, but as a tool that provides the political and institutional framework to help achieve those outcomes,” he says.
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Not a move away from West
Celik says that becoming the 12th Dialogue Partner in ASEAN enhances Türkiye’s international profile by placing it among the bloc’s closest institutional partners.
More importantly, it institutionalises Türkiye’s engagement with ASEAN through regular ministerial consultations, senior officials’ meetings, expert group meetings, joint cooperation mechanisms, and structured implementation of cooperation plans.
“This gives Türkiye a much stronger voice in shaping the future agenda of ASEAN-Türkiye relations,” she says.
However, the development doesn’t replace Türkiye’s existing partnerships with any region or actor, she insists.
To the contrary, it illustrates a broader strategy of diversifying international engagement and building stronger relations across multiple regions in an evolving multipolar international order, she notes.
Durmaz says the new status in ASEAN will enhance Ankara’s visibility as a middle power with an expanding diplomatic profile on the global stage.
It is consistent with Türkiye’s multidimensional foreign policy that, while maintaining NATO membership and European relations, expands partnerships across Asia, Africa, the Gulf and Latin America, he says.
“It would not be accurate to interpret this as a move away from the West or as a replacement for Türkiye’s existing alliances,” he says.
