US secretary of state discussed trade and energy with Prime Minister during his visit to on Saturday, while the Indian PM said both countries would continue working together for the global good.
Rubio’s four-day trip to India is mostly seen as an effort to reset bilateral ties that had taken a hit since imposed tariffs on New Delhi.
‘Energy, Iran, invite from Trump’: Inside Rubio-Modi meeting in New Delhi
- Rubio met Modi soon after arriving in New Delhi and, on behalf of US President Donald Trump, invited the prime minister to visit the White House in the “near future”, US ambassador Sergio Gor said.
- Ahead of the visit, Rubio had said Washington wanted to expand energy sales to India. During the meeting, he pushed that point and told PM 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 in trade and defence and move faster on work related to critical and emerging technologies.
- Rubio “emphasised that the United States will not let Iran hold the global energy market hostage”, his office said.
- During the meeting, PM 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 spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio, during his meeting with Modi, discussed the strategic value of the US-India partnership, the close personal relationship between the US president and the prime minister, and the major economic and business opportunities for both countries.
- Modi and Rubio also reviewed progress in bilateral relations, including major investments linked to the president’s and the prime minister’s “Mission 500” initiative to double trade by 2030, Pigott said.
- According to the Indian government’s account of the meeting, Rubio updated Modi 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”.
- It added that the US secretary of state also shared Washington’s views on several regional and international matters, including the situation in West Asia.
- The readout from the Prime Minister’s Office said that PM Modi asked Rubio to convey his warm greetings to Trump and that he looked forward to continuing their interactions.
Rubio in India
On Sunday, Rubio is expected to hold bilateral discussions with external affairs minister S Jaishankar. The secretary of state will travel to Agra and Jaipur on Monday and return to Delhi on Tuesday morning for the Quad foreign ministers meeting.
Rubio’s India visit comes more than five weeks after foreign secretary Vikram Misri made a three-day trip to Washington DC, where discussions focused on bringing stability to ties after a period marked by uncertainty and tensions.
With inputs from agencies
