Manila: The Philippines is preparing to host a significant gathering of foreign ministers and high-ranking officials in Manila from July 18 to 24 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that all ASEAN foreign ministers are expected to attend, except Myanmar, which will be represented by its permanent secretary.

Foreign ministers from Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, and the European Union (EU) are also anticipated to join the discussions. During this period, the Philippines will host the AMM-Post Ministerial Conferences with dialogue partners, the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, and South Korea), as well as the high-level ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The ARF is a critical platform for dialogue and cooperation on security issues pertinent to the Indo-Pacific region.

The ARF consists of 27 member states, including the 11 ASEAN member states and 10 ASEAN Dialogue Partners, which are Australia, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. Additional members include Bangladesh, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea.

Dax Imperial, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson for ASEAN Affairs, mentioned that the DFA is still awaiting confirmation from other foreign ministers and representatives who are expected to attend. Notably, there is still "no confirmation yet" on the participation of U.S. Department of State member Marco Rubio.

On July 12, the Philippines will lead an informal consultation between ASEAN foreign ministers and Myanmar in Bangkok, Thailand, focusing on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC). The ASEAN members consist of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.