More than just allies: Jaishankar holds delegation-level talks with US State Secy Rubio

The meeting, led by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on his first official visit to India, underscored a deep convergence of interests amid a challenging global geopolitical landscape.

Welcoming Secretary Rubio to the capital, Jaishankar emphasised that the bilateral relationship has evolved into a powerhouse of international cooperation.

"We have a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, which in plain language means we have a deep, broad-based cooperation and a relationship that impacts and influences other regions in the world," Jaishankar stated.

He noted that despite turbulent times globally, the shared interests between New Delhi and Washington ensure a bedrock of open, productive discussion.

Echoing these sentiments, Rubio described his initial experience in India as "fantastic" and distinguished standard international alignments and the Washington-New Delhi bond.

"The United States and India aren't just allies; we're strategic allies, and that's of critical importance," Rubio said. He noted that the partnership uniquely "extends to opportunities to cooperate globally in different regions of the world," explicitly hinting at potential future collaboration in the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio added that as the two largest democracies in the world, the shared governance model provides a natural "baseline" for "incredible cooperation."

Present at the delegation-level talks were the Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, among others.

"It has already been a fantastic first day. We're looking forward to our visits and our talks today and learning more about the country... As you've highlighted, the United States and India aren't just allies; we're strategic allies, and that's of critical importance. We obviously work with countries all over the world and all over the region on a variety of issues as they emerge, but our strategic partnership is what sets this relationship apart, because it's not simply limited to a region. It extends to opportunities to cooperate globally in different regions of the world, and that includes potentially in the Western Hemisphere and places like that," he said.

He further said that there is a "lot to work on", describing India and the US as the two "largest democracies in the world", and he said that alone is a "baseline" for "incredible cooperation". He also added that the current visit is about "continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership."

Earlier on Saturday, the US Secretary of State called on Prime Minister Modi shortly after arriving in New Delhi.

Following the meeting, PM Modi stated that both democracies will continue their close cooperation for global welfare.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the visiting Secretary briefed PM Modi on the steady upward trajectory of bilateral cooperation across several key areas, including defence, strategic technologies, trade, investment, energy security, connectivity, education, and people-to-people ties.

On Saturday, Rubio commenced his four-day official visit to India by landing in Kolkata. Accompanied by his wife, Jeanette Rubio, the US Secretary of State visited the Mother House, the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.

Rubio's itinerary from May 23 to 26, which spans Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi, carries immense diplomatic weight due to critical energy negotiations and scheduled minister-level engagements with Quad partner countries.

New Delhi is set to host the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting on May 26.

At the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will be arriving in India to join Rubio for the multilateral talks. (ANI)