US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss India-US relationship and ways to strengthen bilateral ties after recent diplomatic challenges linked to immigration and tariffs.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the talks between PM Modi and Rubio focussed on key areas such as defence, strategic technologies, trade and investment, energy security, connectivity, education and people-to-people ties.
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“Secretary Rubio briefed the prime minister on the sustained 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 ties,” the statement read.
Rubio also shared the US perspective on its ongoing war in the Middle East involving Iran. During the talks, PM Modi reiterated India's support for peace efforts and stressed that ongoing conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
PM Modi also asked Rubio to convey his warm greetings to US President Donald Trump. “The Prime Minister requested Secretary Rubio to convey his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to their continued exchanges,” the PMO said.
On X, PM Modi shared images of his interaction with Rubio, noting that: “India and the United States will continue to work closely for the global good.”
He said that their talks focussed on sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and security.
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During their talks, Rubio extended Trump's invitation to PM Modi to visit the White House in the near future for further bilateral discussions. The US leader landed in Kolkata earlier today for a four-day India trip after concluding key NATO meetings in Sweden.
His rare visit to the West Bengal capital was marked by his tour to the Mother House - the headquarters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, before flying to the national capital. After meeting PM Modi, Rubio is also expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to hold key talks.
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Rubio's visit to India comes as he prepares to attend the crucial Quad Foreign Ministers' summit scheduled to be held in Delhi on May 26. This meeting will bring together India, US, Japan and Australia, where they will discuss trade, energy security, defence cooperation and key Indo-Pacific priorities.
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