SUBANG JAYA, July 10 — US State Secretary Marco Rubio arrived here today for high-level talks held in conjunction with the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) here, hosted by Malaysia under its 2025 Asean chairmanship.
This visit marks Rubio’s first to Asia since assuming office earlier this year.
Rubio is leading the American delegation to the Asean-led meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Tuesday to tomorrow.
The delegation landed at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base here at 7.39am.
They were received by Foreign Ministry special functions undersecretary Datuk Syed Mohamad Bakri Syed Abd Rahman, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan, and US Mission to Asean chargé d’affaires Kate Rebholz.
According to the US State Department, Rubio will participate in the Asean-United States Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
He is also to hold bilateral talks 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, Japan, and Australia.
This marks Malaysia’s fifth time chairing Asean, having led the bloc in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
The US began formally engaging with Asean in 1977, a decade after the regional bloc’s formation.
The relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership in 2015 and upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022.
— Bernama
