US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed trade and energy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India on Saturday, while the Indian Prime Minister said the two countries will continue to work together for the global good.
Rubio’s four-day trip to India is mostly seen as an attempt to reset bilateral relations that have been damaged since Washington imposed tariffs on New Delhi.
Follow live updates related to Rubio’s India visit here.
“Energy, Iran, a call from Trump”: Inside the Rubio-Modi meeting in New Delhi
- US Ambassador Sergio Gore said Rubio met Modi shortly after his arrival in New Delhi and invited the prime minister on behalf of US President Donald Trump to visit the White House “in the near future.”
- Before the visit, Rubio said Washington wants to expand energy sales to India. During the meeting, he emphasized this point and told Prime Minister Modi that “US energy products have the potential to diversify India’s energy supply,” according to a US summary of the talks.
- The US State Department said Rubio and Modi agreed to strengthen cooperation on trade and defense and move faster on work on critical and emerging technologies.
- Rubio “emphasized that the United States will not allow Iran to hold the global energy market hostage,” his office said.
- During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s support for peace efforts and called for resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue and diplomacy, according to a government statement.
- US State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said that during his meeting with Modi, Rubio discussed the strategic value of the US-India partnership, the close personal relationship between the US President and the Prime Minister, and key economic and trade opportunities for both countries.
- Modi and Rubio also reviewed progress in bilateral relations, including key investments linked to the President and Prime Minister’s “Mission 500” initiative to double trade by 2030, Piggott said.
- According to the Indian government’s account of the meeting, Rubio briefed Modi on “ongoing 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 relations.”
- She added that the US Secretary of State also shared Washington’s views on many regional and international issues, including the situation in West Asia.
- The statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that Prime Minister Modi asked Rubio to convey his warm regards to Trump and that he looked forward to continuing their interactions.
Rubio in India
On Sunday, Rubio is expected to hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The foreign minister will travel to Agra and Jaipur on Monday and return to Delhi on Tuesday morning to attend the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting.
Rubio’s visit to India comes more than five weeks after Foreign Minister Vikram Masri made a three-day visit to Washington, D.C., where discussions focused on stabilizing relations after a period characterized by uncertainty and tensions.
With input from agencies
