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Papua New Guinea has been an observer state in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1976, and has filed its application for full membership status since at least the 1980s.

An obstacle to Papua New Guinea's admission to ASEAN has been its geographical location. Although located no farther away from ASEAN's Jakarta headquarters than northern Myanmar, Papua New Guinea is usually considered to be outside Southeast Asia according to Wallace line and thus ineligible for membership.