Washington, May 19 (). US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India for a four-day visit. According to information shared by the US State Department, Rubio will visit Sweden and reach India from there. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State indicated that he was eagerly waiting for his visit to India, which is going to happen soon.
Let us tell you that this is Rubio’s first official visit to India. Washington and New Delhi are preparing for talks, which are expected to focus on the Quad alliance, regional security, China and growing strategic ties.
The US State Department said Rubio will travel to Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22 to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. Here they will discuss the need to increase defense investment in the Alliance and greater burden sharing.
The US Department of State said, “The Secretary of State will meet with his counterparts from the Arctic Seven countries to discuss our shared economic and security interests in the Arctic and our strong position in the Arctic region. He will also hold bilateral meetings with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. From Sweden, Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi. The Secretary of State for Energy during the meeting with senior Indian officials Will discuss security, trade and defense cooperation.
“I hope everything goes well. We’re about to leave (for India),” Rubio told the media on Tuesday ahead of his visit to India.
The visit is taking place amid growing geopolitical uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, with both countries seeking better coordination on security, maritime issues and new technology.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore further raised expectations for the visit, writing on Twitter: “Look forward to welcoming our good friend Secretary Rubio to India! The United States values our growing partnership with India and we look forward to building an even stronger relationship that will benefit both our countries and the world.”
Apart from the bilateral meeting with Indian leaders in New Delhi, Rubio is also expected to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad, which includes India, the US, Japan and Australia.
Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, said the timing of Rubio’s visit is important in view of the current regional challenges and the need for stronger strategic cooperation among the Quad countries.
“Now is the time for us to restart the Quad, and this is very important, especially in the current situation of challenges in the Middle East,” Aghi told in an interview.
He said maritime security concerns related to the Strait of Hormuz and its major impact on regional stability are expected to be discussed in the discussions between Washington and New Delhi.
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