KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday (July 9) received a courtesy call from Asean foreign ministers, marking the start of a series of high-level engagements in conjunction with the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings here.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic) led his Asean counterparts to the meeting, which took place ahead of the official opening ceremony by Anwar.

Present were Brunei's Second Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Setia Erywan Yusof; Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn; Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono; Laos Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane.

Joining them were Philippines Foreign Secretary, Ma Theresa P. Lazaro; Singapore Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; Thailand Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa; and Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Timor-Leste Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas also attended the meeting, in accordance with the country's current status as observer to the regional bloc.

Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn was also present at the 30-minute meeting.

The ongoing 58th AMM and related meetings are being held under Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship for 2025 with the theme 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'.

More than 1,500 delegates from Asean and its external partner countries are participating in 24 ministerial-level meetings spanning four days. - Bernama