New Delhi: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is holding high-level meetings with Indian leaders here on Sunday as both countries seek to strengthen their Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
Rubio arrived in India on May 23, beginning his four-day trip in Kolkata before traveling to New Delhi. The visit includes stops in Agra and Jaipur and comes ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for May 26 in New Delhi.
A statement issued by Press Information Bureau in New Delhi said, Secretary Rubio on Saturday briefed Prime Minister on the sustained progress in bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including defence, strategic technologies, trade and investment, energy security, connectivity, education and people-to-people ties. Secretary Rubio shared U.S. perspective on various regional and global issues, including the situation in West Asia.
Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India’s consistent support for peace efforts and reiterated the call for peaceful resolution of the conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. The statement said, Prime Minister requested Secretary Rubio to convey his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to their continued exchanges.
According to a U.S. State Department statement, Secretary Rubio in his meeting with Prime Minister Modi “underscored the strategic importance of the U.S.-India partnership, rooted in our shared democratic values, profound economic and commercial opportunity, and the strong personal ties between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.”
Rubio extended an invitation, on behalf of President Trump, to the Prime Minister to visit the White House.
The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed the current situation in the Middle East. Rubio “emphasized that the United States will not let Iran hold the global energy market hostage and affirmed that U.S. energy products have the potential to diversify India’s energy supply.”
During the meeting, the two “reflected upon recent bilateral achievements, including significant investments that advance the President and Prime Minister’s “Mission 500” (India is to purchase $500 billion in U.S. goods over the next five years) to double (bilateral) trade by 2030.” The Secretary and Prime Minister agreed to deepen trade and defense cooperation and accelerate collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, the statement said.
Secretary Rubio shared his appreciation for India hosting the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and looked forward to advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region alongside Australia, India, and Japan.
Before his meeting with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi, Rubio visited the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. He posted on X: “Mother Teresa left a tremendous legacy of compassion and service. I was honored to visit the Missionaries of Charity today to pay homage to her legacy…”
Rubio also dedicated a new consular wing at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. In a post on X, he said: “Dedicated a new consular wing at our Embassy in New Delhi that will provide the necessary infrastructure for more rigorous vetting, processing, and screening to protect U.S. borders. Every visa decision is a national security decision…”
The visit is Rubio’s first to India as Secretary of State. Official statements from both governments have described the engagements as aimed at deepening bilateral ties across multiple sectors.
Further meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other Indian officials are expected before Rubio departs.
