• Source:JND

Marco Rubio's India Visit: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in India on Saturday for a four-day visit. Rubio left for New Delhi for his first visit to the South Asian country since taking office on Friday night. US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, confirmed his departure for India.

"Just got a call from @SecRubio — he’s taking off for India right now! Excited for this important trip!," Gor confirmed on X.

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What Are The Key Agendas Of Rubio's India Visit?

Rubio's New Delhi visit comes at a very critical time when Asian countries, including India, are reeling under fuel crisis, following tensions between the US and Iran. His visit also aims to repair bilateral ties that have been under strain since mid-last year due to Trump's tariff policy. According to foreign policy experts, Rubio will attempt to bolster India-US ties in energy, trade, investment, critical technology and people-to-people ties exchanges.

Rubio's Schedule In India

The top US diplomat is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in addition to attending a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in New Delhi. While the Jaishankar-Rubio talks are set for Sunday, the Quad meeting will take place on Tuesday. Besides his engagements in New Delhi, Rubio is also scheduled to visit Kolkata, Agra and Jaipur, people familiar with the matter said.

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Rubio Likely To Meet PM Modi

There is a possibility of the US Secretary of State calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, it is learnt. "There's a lot to work on with India, they're a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip," Rubio said on Friday about his trip to India.

The two sides are also expected to deliberate on the West Asia crisis and its economic impact, including on energy supplies. The US Secretary of State's trip to India comes over five weeks after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri undertook a three-day visit to Washington DC that focused on stabilising the ties after a spell of uncertainty and strain.

The relations between the two countries witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Donald Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.

(With PTI Inputs)


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