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United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday visited the iconic Taj Mahal along with his wife Jeanette Rubio and hailed the monument as one of the treasures of the world.
They spent around one and a half hours at the Taj Mahal and wrote in the visitors' book, "Thank you for allowing us to visit one of the true treasures of the World." US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also accompanied them during the visit. The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, continues to attract high-profile global leaders and dignitaries visiting India. Last year, US Vice President JD Vance visited the monument along with his wife, Usha Vance and their children Vivek, Mirabel and Ewan. The Taj Mahal has also been visited by several other global leaders in the past, including former US President Donald Trump, who toured the monument during his first term as President, along with First Lady Melania Trump. During his visit, Trump described the monument as a symbol of India's cultural richness, saying, "Taj Mahal inspires awe, a timeless testament to the rich and diverse beauty of Indian culture! Thank you, India." According to the official website of the Taj Mahal, the monument is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, combining Persian, Indian and Islamic design elements. In 1983, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and described as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." Rubio's visit to Agra is part of his four-day trip to India, during which he is scheduled to participate in the Quad Summit on Tuesday. He began his visit to India from the Missionaries of Charity at Kolkata, followed by meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then later holding delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Rubio also held discussions with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. In a major diplomatic deployment matching this regional focus, India is gearing up to host the foreign ministers of the Quad nations in the national capital to deliberate on the evolving security matrix of the Indo-Pacific and the escalating friction points across West Asia. The high-level congregation of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue--bringing together India, the United States, Australia, and Japan--is locked in for May 26 under the chairmanship of External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. (ANI)
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