US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata today on a four-day visit to India. This is his maiden visit to the country, marking an important step in strengthening bilateral ties between Washington and New Delhi. The visit is expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, defence, energy security, technology and the Indo-Pacific strategy.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor received Mr Rubio at the airport. The US Department of State said that during his stay in Kolkata, Mr Rubio will visit Mother House, the headquarters of Saint Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, and the Children’s Home in the city.
In a social media post, Mr Gor said that later in the day, the US Secretary of State will travel to New Delhi and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the US Ambassador, the upcoming engagements will primarily focus on strengthening cooperation in key strategic sectors, including defence partnerships, advanced technologies, trade ties and collaboration under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) framework.
Tomorrow, Mr Rubio will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and attend the US Embassy’s Independence Day celebrations in the national capital.
On Monday, the US Secretary of State is scheduled to visit Agra and Jaipur before returning to New Delhi for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Tuesday, hosted by India. Besides Mr Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will also participate in the meeting at the invitation of Dr Jaishankar.
The External Affairs Ministry said the meeting, in line with the QUAD’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, will review progress on ongoing initiatives and discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Talking to the media in Miami prior to his departure for India, Mr Rubio described India as a great ally and partner, saying there is a lot to work on together.
