Rubio said Washington’s Pakistan ties would not undermine its partnership with India.
He said India and the US shared concerns about the terrorism threat.
Engagement with Islamabad could give Washington greater influence over its decisions, he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Washington’s relationship with Pakistan would not come at India’s expense, asserting that the US and India shared same concerns about terrorism.
“In no way does the relationship with Pakistan come at the expense of our relationship with India,” Rubio told India Today during his visit to Mumbai. The two countries “share the same concerns... about terrorism”, he added.
Rubio was speaking at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, one of the sites targeted during the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which killed more than 160 people, including six Americans.
He was responding to a question about whether closer US-Pakistan ties could undermine India’s counterterrorism efforts.
Relationship With Pakistan Gives US More Influence On Them
Rubio said Washington’s global interests required it to engage with countries worldwide, including Pakistan, with which it had longstanding ties.
He argued that maintaining the relationship could help the US influence decisions in Islamabad.
“I think it allows us to have, hopefully, more influence over the decisions they make on a variety of topics,” he said.
Discussing Washington’s counterterrorism record, Rubio said the US had also experienced terrorist attacks and remained committed to confronting the threat internationally.
“No country in the world does more to go after terrorism than the United States,” he said, citing operations against the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, including the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Immigration Changes Not Directed At India
Rubio also addressed concerns about tighter US immigration rules, saying the measures were part of wider changes to the American immigration system and did not specifically target India.
During his visit, he held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on trade, energy, defence, technology and people-to-people relations.
On Wednesday, Rubio met Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani. He later travelled to Jamnagar for a tour with Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
Trade Agreement Nearing Completion
On the proposed bilateral trade agreement, Rubio said India and the US were “very, very close” to a deal, with only a few details unresolved.
He also said preserving strong relations with India was among the factors behind President Donald Trump’s recent decision to waive tariffs linked to purchases of Russian energy.
Rubio acknowledged that India could not quickly reduce its dependence on Russian crude oil, noting the difficulty of changing energy supplies over a short period.
