Kuala lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has officially invited United States President Donald Trump to participate in the upcoming ASEAN-US Summit and the East Asia Summit scheduled in Kuala Lumpur this October. The invitation was conveyed through US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met with Anwar during a courtesy call.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the meeting with Rubio, which lasted approximately 40 minutes, took place at the Parliament Building and marked his first visit to Asia since assuming office earlier this year. Anwar expressed Malaysia’s confidence that their collaboration with the US would not only enhance bilateral relations but also contribute to stability, prosperity, and peace across the Indo-Pacific region. This sentiment was shared via a Facebook post by Anwar.
The discussions between Anwar and Rubio also opened avenues for extended cooperation in areas such as digital investment, artificial intelligence (AI), defense, and education. Anwar highlighted that they exchanged views on pressing regional issues, including the situations in Palestine, Ukraine, and Myanmar.
Rubio’s visit coincides with a series of high-level meetings tied to the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related events, under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025, taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from July 8 to 11.
Following his official visits to Italy, France, and Brazil, Anwar shared at a media conference in Rio de Janeiro on July 7 that the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, set for October, are expected to be among the largest in the history of the organization. Several global leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz In¡cio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, have confirmed their attendance at the summit from October 26 to 28.
The ASEAN group consists of 10 member states: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Regular external partners attending ASEAN Summits include Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. The 46th ASEAN Summit in May also featured the second ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit.