Laos, a UN member since 14 December 1955, belongs to ESCAP and all the nonregional specialized agencies except IAEA and IMO. The nation participates in the Asian Development Bank and G-77, is a signatory to the Law of the Sea, and has observer status with the WTO. Since 1961, it has been a member of the nonaligned movement. Laos's main diplomatic, economic, and military allies have been Vietnam and the former USSR. In 1977, Laos signed a 20-year treaty of cooperation with Vietnam. A four-year agreement with Vietnam and Cambodia that pledged cooperation in regulating forestry, processing agricultural goods, producing consumer goods, and increasing trade was signed in 1986. In 1997, Laos joined ASEAN and AFTA.
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