US state secretary in M'sia for Asean talks, to meet Russian counterpart

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the country today to attend high-level talks in conjunction with the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM), hosted by Malaysia as the 2025 Asean chair.

This visit marks Rubio’s first visit to Asia since assuming office earlier this year.

He 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 in Subang Jaya at 7.39am.

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 State Department, 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 today.

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 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.

This marks Malaysia’s fifth time chairing Asean, having previously led the bloc 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.

US and Russia officials to meet

Meanwhile, a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Rubio on the sidelines of Asean events is being worked out, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova to RIA Novosti.

“I confirm: such a meeting is being worked out,” she said in response to a question.

Lavrov is in Malaysia to participate in ministerial meetings on July 10-11.

According to Zakharova, Lavrov is also expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings with Asian partners on the sidelines of the Asean events.

A meeting between Lavrov and Rubio is scheduled for 6pm today, according to the US State Department’s schedule.

US secretary of state to visit M'sia for Asean meetings

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