Top diplomats gather for security forum in Southeast Asia

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro delivers the opening statement during the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 23, 2026. JAM STA ROSA/Pool via REUTERS Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, on July 23, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS MANILA, PHILIPPINES - JULY 22: Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov poses for a group photo with ASEAN foreign ministers during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with Russia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center on July 22, 2026 in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Pool via REUTERS US Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens during a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Pasay, Philippines on July 22, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro delivers the opening statement during the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay 1 of 4 Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro delivers the opening statement during the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 23, 2026. JAM STA ROSA/Pool via REUTERS By Michael Martina and Mikhail Flores