Marco Rubio Arrives In Kolkata On First India Visit As US Secretary Of State

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday for his four-day diplomatic tour to India, with the city marking the opening leg of a visit that carries considerable political and historical resonance.

Only a few weeks after West Bengal saw a historic political transformation with the installation of a BJP-led government, he arrived in the eastern metropolis, ending a 14-year absence for an American secretary of state to visit the city.

In a post on X, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said, "Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister @narendramodi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defence, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!" Later in another post on X, the US Ambassador said, "Honoured to welcome my friend @SecRubio to India! We have an ambitious agenda ahead, including the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, focused on advancing @POTUS ' vision for an even stronger U.S.-India partnership. Looking forward to great conversations and making real progress together!" Rubio became the first US secretary of state to set foot in Kolkata since Hillary Clinton visited the city in May 2012.

Rubio is scheduled to visit Mother House, the Children's Home in the city, and the central Kolkata headquarters of Saint Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, according to the US Department of State.

Due to his planned energy talks with India and the meeting with ministers from the Quad countries, Rubio's May 23–26 agenda in India, which also includes visits to Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi, is seen as diplomatically vital.

"Well, we want to sell them as much energy as they'll buy. And obviously, you've seen I think we're at historic levels of US production, and US export," Rubio told reporters in Miami before he embarked on the trip to Sweden and India.

In response to a query regarding how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has affected India's energy pricing, Rubio called India a "great partner" and expressed his anticipation of meeting with ministers from the Quad countries.

On May 26, Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu are expected to attend the Quad meeting, which will be presided over by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.