Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday for his first official visit to India, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties that have faced strain since mid-last year.
The top US diplomat is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, besides meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and participating in the meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) foreign ministers in New Delhi.
Both New Delhi and Washington are seeking to deepen cooperation in areas including trade, technology, defence, energy security, and Indo-Pacific strategy.
“Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defence, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!” US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said in a post on X.
Earlier, Rubio had expressed Washington’s willingness to significantly expand energy cooperation with India, stating that the United States is prepared to supply “as much energy” as India is willing to purchase.
He noted that high-level discussions are already underway with Indian authorities to boost energy exports, supported by record levels of American oil and gas production.
“Well, we want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy. And obviously, you've seen I think we're at historic levels of US production, and US export,” Rubio told reporters in Miami before departing for Sweden and India.
Rubio also confirmed his participation in the upcoming QUAD foreign ministers’ meeting to be hosted in New Delhi. Jaishankar will chair the meeting involving India, the United States, Australia, and Japan on May 26.
His arrival in Kolkata marks the first visit by a US Secretary of State to the eastern metropolis since Hillary Clinton visited the city in 2012.
During his stay in Kolkata, Rubio is also expected to visit Mother House, the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa, as well as a children’s home in the city.
