PHNOM PENH: The Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Head of the Secretariat of the National Commission for Organizing the ASEAN Summits and Related Meetings, Luy David, has confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will be attending the upcoming 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings in Phnom Penh.

In addition to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, will also be attending the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings.

Previously, following the news that the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, would be attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings, the Spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, Stephanie Arzate, stated that the U.S. remains “committed to the success of ASEAN, but it should not be business as usual for Russia’s participation in the ministerials, given Russia’s unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The U.S. is one of the 11 dialogue partners of ASEAN, and is also a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings will be held from 31 July to 6 August 2022 in Cambodia. Delegates attending the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings will be from a total of 39 different countries, including Cambodia. There will be 27 countries participating in the ASEAN Regional Forum and 12 ASEAN guest delegations.