SUBANG JAYA: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Malaysia today to participate in high-level discussions at the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM).
The meetings, hosted by Malaysia under its 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, are taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from July 8 to 11.
Rubio’s delegation landed at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Base in Subang Jaya at 7.39 am.
He was welcomed by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Datuk Syed Mohamad Bakri Syed Abd Rahman, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan, and Chargé d’Affaires Kate Rebholz.
This visit marks Rubio’s first trip to Asia since assuming office earlier this year.
According to the US Department of State, he will attend the ASEAN-United States Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Rubio is also expected to hold bilateral talks with senior Malaysian officials.
All ASEAN foreign ministers are attending except Myanmar, represented by a senior official, while Timor-Leste joins as an observer.
The ARF, a key part of the AMM’s broader agenda, includes ASEAN, its Dialogue Partners, and strategic players such as the US, China, Russia, the 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 has maintained formal ties with ASEAN since 1977, a decade after the bloc’s formation.
The partnership was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2015 and further upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. – Bernama
