Every year following the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, ASEAN holds its Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) to which the Secretary of State is invited. In 1994, ASEAN took the lead in establishing the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which now has 27 members and meets each year at the ministerial level just after the PMC.
On November 15, 2009, President Obama met with ASEAN leaders in Singapore. This was the first meeting ever between a U.S. President and all ten ASEAN leaders. The President’s meeting has greatly advanced U.S. relations with ASEAN and the East Asia region. Nina Hachigian is the U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN.