WASHINGTON, July 17 — United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the Philippines to join a series of meetings of the ASEAN and East Asia Summit, said the US Department of State on Friday, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Manila, Philippines, from July 19 to July 23, to attend the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting," department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
During his visit, Rubio will meet with senior government officials from Indo-Pacific nations attending the meetings, seeking to advance Washington's priority of a free and open region.
"Secretary Rubio will use this trip to demonstrate the tangible results of the US-ASEAN partnership and to deepen the United States' comprehensive partnership with the Philippines," said Pigott.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will also travel to Manila for the series of meetings from July 21 to July 23.
