US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday described the India-US relationship as one of Washington’s “most important” strategic partnerships as he held delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi.
The meeting at Hyderabad House came a day after Rubio held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with both sides focusing on defence cooperation, trade, energy security, strategic technologies and regional developments.
“We have a lot to discuss and a lot to work on. We are the two largest democracies in the world, and so that alone is a baseline for incredible cooperation,” Rubio said during the delegation-level talks.
‘NOT ABOUT RESTORING TIES’
Rubio strongly pushed back against suggestions that ties between New Delhi and Washington needed “reinvigoration”, saying the relationship was already on a strong footing and was steadily expanding.
“This is not about restoring or reinvigorating. I’ve seen people use that terminology,” Rubio said. “This is about continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership – one of the most important ones that we have, and one of the most important ones in the world,” he added.
The remarks are being viewed as a signal from Washington that despite periodic differences on trade and geopolitical issues, the broader India-US strategic framework remains robust.
DEFENCE, TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Rubio’s discussions with PM Modi on Saturday covered a broad spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including defence, trade and investment, connectivity, energy and emerging technologies.
“Happy to receive the US Secretary of State, Mr. Marco Rubio. We discussed sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and security,” Modi said in a post on X after the meeting.
The PMO said Rubio briefed the Prime Minister on the “sustained progress” in bilateral cooperation across sectors and also shared the US perspective on several regional and global issues, including the evolving situation in West Asia.
Modi reiterated India’s support for peace efforts and stressed that ongoing conflicts should be resolved through “dialogue and diplomacy”, the PMO said.
TRUMP INVITE FOR PM MODI
US Ambassador Sergio Gor said Rubio also conveyed an invitation from US President Donald Trump for PM Modi to visit the White House in the near future.
The visit by Rubio is aimed at further strengthening bilateral engagement after relations encountered some turbulence since mid-last year over trade and geopolitical concerns.
Rubio arrived in India on Saturday and began his visit in Kolkata, where he visited the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity before travelling to Delhi.
QUAD MEETING NEXT
The US Secretary of State is also scheduled to travel to Agra and Jaipur before returning to Delhi for the upcoming Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The Quad grouping – comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia – has emerged as a key platform for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing concerns over regional security and maritime stability.
Rubio’s India trip is being closely watched as Washington seeks to deepen strategic alignment with New Delhi across defence, critical technologies and the Indo-Pacific while maintaining momentum in high-level political engagement between the two countries.
– Ends
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