I wrote to Trump for support to organise Asean-US meeting, says Anwar

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has written to President Donald Trump seeking his support to organise a meeting between Asean and the United States.

In his keynote address at the 46th Asean Summit Plenary Session on Monday (May 26), Anwar said that this is following the mandate achieved during the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Langkawi earlier this year.

"I have taken the liberty also to write to President Trump to seek his understanding to organise a US-Asean meeting, which means we observe seriously the spirit of centrality," said Anwar.

ALSO READ: Asean-GCC-China model will help forge inclusive, sustainable future, says Anwar

On May 25, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said that Malaysia, as the 2025 Asean Chair, is still awaiting confirmation from the US on the proposed date for the Asean-US Special Summit.

On April 5, Mohamad said he received a phone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss, among other things, the Malaysia-US bilateral relations under the Comprehensive Cooperation Framework.

Asean’s economic ministers had previously said that the 10-member bloc would not impose any retaliatory measures as the group wanted to engage in a “frank and constructive” dialogue with the US to address trade-related concerns.