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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would be open to meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during ASEAN-related meetings in the Philippines.
"I'm not sure it's been definitively arranged. But we'd be open to meeting with them," Rubio told reporters when asked whether he was prepared to meet Lavrov or Wang on the sidelines of the ASEAN gatherings in Manila.
The U.S. State Department has said Rubio will visit Manila from July 19 to 23 to attend ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference events, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with senior officials from a number of Indo-Pacific countries.
Lavrov is also due to attend several ASEAN ministerial meetings in Manila.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has confirmed that Lavrov will participate in the events from July 21 to 23.