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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday reiterated his stance of how "people say stupid stuff" when asked about racist comments targeting Indians in the United States, following a question raised at a press conference in the national capital on Sunday.
Clarifying his response, Rubio said he was referring to online comments and suggested that some of them could be posted by trolls or bots. Noting that he did not know the exact context of the question being referred to, Rubio said he assumed it was about online activity. "I assumed that he was talking about people posting stuff online. Some of those could be a troll, a bot," he said. He further reiterated that such behaviour is not unique to any one country. "People say stupid stuff all the time on social media and in every country in the world, unfortunately," Rubio added. In his remarks, Rubio also emphasised that the United States remains a welcoming country and said that offensive comments made by individuals should not be seen as reflective of the nation as a whole. He further emphasised the strength of US-India relations, stating that the American President holds India in high regard and shares a strong rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The President loves India, and is a big fan of Prime Minister Modi. I wouldn't be here if the President didn't want me to be here. He wouldn't have sent someone like Sergio to be our ambassador, someone who's very close to the President," Rubio said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday strongly defended the United States as a welcoming country while dismissing racist comments targeting Indians in the United States as the actions of "stupid people", saying such remarks do not reflect America's broader character as an immigrant-friendly nation. Addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, Rubio had responded to a question on racism against Indians in the US and said he takes such concerns seriously but emphasised that offensive remarks made by individuals do not reflect the values of the United States. Meanwhile, when asked if the Indian side expressed any concerns regarding Pakistan playing the role of a mediator in the US-Iran conflict, Rubio said that the conversation on this theme did not come up. "They're always concerned about, obviously. India is always pointing to the fact that there are armed terrorist groups operating from Pakistani territory that target India. They're always concerned about that. But as far as the role they played as a mediator and a facilitator in the Iran situation, it never came up. I don't think that they would complain about that. I mean, their issue with Pakistan is different." On being asked to compare his recent visits to China and India, Rubio described both as important countries, while highlighting India as a key strategic ally of the United States and a vibrant democracy. "India is the most populous country in the world. It's a democracy. It's a strong strategic ally of the United States," he said. (ANI)
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