II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 682 

To provide for the treatment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

(ASEAN) as an international organization for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2023 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Ms. DUCKWORTH, and Mr. ROMNEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To provide for the treatment of the Association of Southeast 

Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an international organization 

for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Appropriate 

5 Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations 

6 with ASEAN Act’’ or the ‘‘PARTNER with ASEAN Act’’. 


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•S 682 IS

1 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON DEEPENING COOPERA2 TION WITH ASEAN. 

3 It is the policy of the United States— 

4 (1) to reaffirm the United States-ASEAN Com5 prehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 

6 2022 following 45 years of Dialogue Partnership; 

7 (2) to enhance United States-ASEAN coopera8 tion in support of an open, transparent, resilient, in9 clusive and rules-based regional architecture in the 

10 Indo-Pacific; 

11 (3) to support regular, high-level United States 

12 official engagement with ASEAN, including the par13 ticipation in the annual ASEAN Summit held each 

14 year; 

15 (4) to enhance cooperation with ASEAN mem16 ber states as well as with the institution of ASEAN 

17 and the ASEAN Secretariat, including through the 

18 United States Mission to ASEAN, led by the United 

19 States Ambassador to ASEAN; and 

20 (5) to welcome the decision in-principle by 

21 ASEAN to admit Timor-Leste to be ASEAN’s 11th 

22 member state and to encourage United States sup23 port to Timor-Leste in its capacity as an official 

24 ASEAN observer. 


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3 

•S 682 IS

1 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 

2 AN ASEAN DELEGATION TO THE UNITED 

3 STATES. 

4 It is the sense of Congress that it is in the United 

5 States interest to encourage the establishment, at the ear6 liest opportunity, of an ASEAN delegation to the United 

7 States, to enhance cooperation between ASEAN and the 

8 United States at all levels. 

9 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES TO THE 

10 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NA11 TIONS. 

12 The provisions of the International Organizations Im13 munities Act (22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) may be extended to 

14 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the same 

15 manner, to the same extent, and subject to the same con16 ditions as such provisions may be extended to a public 

17 international organization in which the United States par18 ticipates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority 

19 of any Act of Congress authorizing such participation or 

20 making an appropriation for such participation. 

Æ 


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