New Delhi: Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday for a four day official visit aimed at strengthening strategic ties between India and the United States. Rubio landed in Kolkata early in the morning and is scheduled to hold key meetings with Narendra Modi and S. Jaishankar in New Delhi later in the day.
The visit marks Rubio’s first trip to India as US Secretary of State and is expected to focus on major areas of bilateral cooperation including trade, defence, energy security, technology and strategic coordination under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue framework.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed Rubio’s arrival and highlighted that discussions over the coming days would cover several important issues aimed at advancing the partnership between the two countries.
Apart from New Delhi, Rubio is also expected to visit Agra and Jaipur during his stay in India, with engagements planned across diplomatic, economic and strategic sectors.
Ahead of the visit, Rubio emphasised Washington’s interest in expanding energy cooperation with India and said the United States was prepared to supply as much energy as India required. His remarks came at a time when global energy markets continue to face volatility due to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and rising international fuel prices.
Rubio described India as a strong and trusted partner and underlined the importance of deeper collaboration between the world’s two largest democracies amid growing global uncertainties. He also confirmed his participation in the upcoming Quad foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled to take place in New Delhi during the visit.
Officials expect the high level discussions to further strengthen strategic cooperation between India and the United States across defence, technology, regional security and economic partnerships, while also boosting collaboration in emerging sectors and energy supply chains.
