KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Malaysia this week for a series of high-level regional meetings and bilateral engagements, marking his first trip to Asia since assuming office earlier this year.
According to a statement on the US Department of State’s official website, Rubio will travel to Kuala Lumpur from July 8 to 12 and is scheduled to attend the ASEAN-United States Post-Ministerial Conference, East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, taking place from Thursday.
He is also expected to hold discussions with senior Malaysian government officials during the visit.
“The trip underscores Washington’s renewed focus on strengthening its engagement in the Indo-Pacific. “Secretary Rubio is focused on reaffirming the United States’ commitment to advancing a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region.
“During this trip, the Secretary will highlight the strength of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN in delivering results for the American people and the people of Southeast Asia, as well as our commitment to building on our Comprehensive Partnership with Malaysia,” the statement read.
All foreign ministers of ASEAN member states will be present, except for Myanmar, which will only be represented by a senior official from its foreign ministry. The Foreign Minister from Timor-Leste will be participating as an observer.
The ARF, part of the AMM’s wider programme, brings together ASEAN, its Dialogue Partners and other key players, including the US, China, Russia, the European Union (EU), Japan and Australia.
In addition to the formal agenda, the foreign ministers are expected to hold a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements on the sidelines of the meetings.
Malaysia is hosting the AMM as part of its fifth ASEAN Chairmanship, having previously held the role in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
The high-level meetings are expected to draw around 1,500 delegates, including foreign ministers from ASEAN member states, Timor-Leste, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, ARF participants, Sectoral Dialogue Partners and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat.
