"Anything that makes us stronger, safer or more prosperous will be our mission": Rubio's inaugural remarks

Speaking at his welcome ceremony after being sworn in as the nation's 72nd Secretary of State on Tuesday (local time), he said, "I want to thank President Trump for nominating me. It is an extraordinary honour and a privilege to serve in this role and be here."

He also highlighted the strength of the US diplomatic corps, stating, "To oversee the greatest, the most effective, the most talented, the most experienced diplomatic corps in the history of the world, resides in this building."

Further, he outlined the key goals for US foreign policy under his leadership.

"Our foreign policy has a very clear mission- the advancement of our national interest which is clearly defined through his (President Trump's) campaign as anything that makes us stronger, safer or more prosperous- and that will be our mission, our job across the world," Rubio stated.

Rubio stressed the importance of aligning US interests with those of other nations where possible, saying, "I expect every nation on the earth to advance its national interests. And in those instances in which our and their national interests align, we look forward to working with them."

He also highlighted President Trump's goal of promoting global peace, stating, "His overriding goal for Global Policy is the promotion of peace, and avoiding conflict."

Rubio added that "no agency will be more critical in that regard than this one... Promoting peace around the world is in our national interest because without peace it is hard to be a strong and prosperous nation."

While acknowledging that conflicts will arise, he made it clear that the US will seek to prevent them but "never at the expense of our national security and interests."

Later, Rubio is set to meet the foreign ministers of the QUAD member countries, according to a statement from the US Department of State.

As per the details shared by the US State Department, Secretary Rubio will convene with the Indo-Pacific QUAD Foreign Ministers at the Department of State at 1 PM (local time). This will be followed by a bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at 3:45 PM.

After that, Rubio is scheduled to hold individual meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi at the Department of State, the statement noted. (ANI)