US Secretary of State Marco Rubio lands in Malaysia for Asean meetings
This visit marks Rubio's first to Asia since assuming office earlier this year.
Rubio is leading the US delegation at the Asean-led meetings taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from July 8 to 11.
The delegation landed at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Base here at 7.39 am.
They were received by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Special Functions, Syed Mohamad Bakri Syed Abd Rahman, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan and Chargé d'Affaires at the US Mission to Asean, Kate Rebholz.
According to the US Department of State, Rubio is scheduled to participate in the Asean-United States Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, all taking place from Thursday.
He is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with senior Malaysian officials during his visit.
All Asean foreign ministers are attending the meetings, except for Myanmar, which is represented by a senior official. Timor-Leste is participating as an observer.
The ARF, a key component of the AMM's wider programme, brings together Asean, its Dialogue Partners and other strategic players, including the US, China, Russia, the European Union (EU), Japan and Australia.
Malaysia is hosting the AMM for the fifth time, having previously chaired Asean in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
The US began formal engagement with Asean in 1977, a decade after the regional bloc's formation.
The relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2015 and further upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. — Bernama
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