Manila: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the Philippines from Sunday to Thursday to attend meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During his visit, Rubio will participate in the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the United States, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting, according to a statement. He is also scheduled to meet with senior government officials from Indo-Pacific countries.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, foreign ministers -- Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi, and Rubio -- are also expected to meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN gatherings. The last Quad foreign ministers' meeting was held in May in India.

Rubio's visit "advances a clear US priority: a free and open Indo-Pacific that delivers safety, security, and prosperity for the region and for the American people," said the US State Department statement. The visit will also be used to "demonstrate the tangible results of the US-ASEAN partnership" and deepen Washington's comprehensive strategic partnership with Manila.

The Philippines is hosting the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM), Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC), and a commemorative event marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) from Sunday to Friday. The bloc's foreign ministers will convene on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, ASEAN will hold a series of post-ministerial conferences with 11 partners, including the US and China. On Thursday, the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting will take place. The week-long events will conclude on Friday with a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the TAC.