Delegates begin arriving for Asean Summit
Among the early arrivals was the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, who landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 2.16pm.
Also arriving today were Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn at 2.40pm, followed by Saudi Arabia's Deputy International Multilateral Affairs Minister, Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, at 3pm.
Timor-Leste's Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, arrived at 5pm, while Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Bui Thanh Son, landed at 5.45pm.
The 46th Asean Summit will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on May 26 and 27, alongside the second Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit.
The summit will bring together leaders from Asean member states to deliberate on regional developments and chart the future direction of the regional bloc.
This marks Malaysia's fifth time chairing Asean, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
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[UPDATED] Malaysia continues efforts to mediate Thailand-Cambodia conflict, says Anwar
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia, as Asean chairman, will continue its efforts to engage both Thailand and Cambodia following the ongoing conflict along their border, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said. Anwar added that he would also continue to contact both leaders in a bid to halt the gunfire and, at the very least, push for the resumption of ceasefire negotiations. "We have already stated our position, despite criticism from certain quarters. "Both the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia have issued statements and personally contacted me to express their appreciation for the initiative. "Although they have agreed in principle, there still appears to be gunfire along the border. "If possible, I will also continue to contact them myself, at the very least, to stop the ongoing exchange of gunfire and proceed with negotiations," he told reporters after attending the 2025 Prime Minister's Cup Debate Finals. Anwar said this when asked whether Malaysia is ready to host both parties to sit and hold discussions on the matter. He added that Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has also been instructed to follow up with his counterparts on the matter. Yesterday, Anwar said the government is not taking the ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and its impact on Malaysia lightly. Anwar said that although the situation in Malaysia remained stable and calm, the country must learn from the experiences of its neighbours. It was reported that Thai and Cambodian troops clashed on Thursday in a disputed border area, with both sides accusing each other of sparking the latest confrontation. Tensions between the two Southeast Asian nations have risen since May 28 following a bloody incident in the Preah Vihear area that claimed the life of a Cambodian soldier. The two countries have long been at odds over their 817-kilometre border, which has remained unresolved for decades, and the dispute continues to strain diplomatic relations.
