Marco Rubio embarks on 4-day India visit: ‘Excited for this important trip’ — what's on agenda?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarked on a four-day visit to India on Friday. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed Rubio's trip to India, saying, "Just got a call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — he’s taking off for India right now! Excited for this important trip!"

Rubio will arrive in India on Saturday, a day after attending the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden. He will stay in India till May 26.

“From Sweden, Secretary Rubio will travel to India from May 23-26, where he will visit Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi,” an official statement by the US Embassy and Consulates in India stated on May 20.

The agenda of Marco Rubio's India visit

Many believe that Marco Rubio's visit to India is aimed at resetting ties between the US and India, which had been under strain over the past few months.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy and Consulates said that during his time in India, Marco Rubio will discuss energy security, trade, and defense cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials.

According to news agency PTI, the top US diplomat is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in addition to attending a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in New Delhi on Sunday.

Sources told PTI that ways to bolster India-US ties in energy, trade, investment, critical technology and people-to-people ties exchanges are likely to dominate the talks between Jaishankar and Rubio.

The two sides are also expected to deliberate on the West Asia crisis and its economic impact, including on energy supplies.

Later, 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 S Jaishankar, ANI reported.

An official communication from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that the strategic huddle will see the participation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

Besides his engagements in New Delhi, Rubio is also scheduled to visit Kolkata, Agra and Jaipur.

"There is a possibility of the US Secretary of State calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well," sources told PTI.

"There's a lot to work on with India, they're a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip," Rubio said on Friday about his trip to India.

India-US ties

The US Secretary of State's trip to India comes over five weeks after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri undertook a three-day visit to Washington DC that focused on stabilising the ties after a spell of uncertainty and strain.

The relations between the two countries witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Donald Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.

Over the next few months, the US president repeatedly and publicly claimed that he had resolved the military conflict between the two neighbours and saved millions of lives as it was going in the direction of a full-scale war.

New Delhi stoutly maintained that the cessation of the hostilities was result of talks between India and Pakistan the US involvement had nothing to do with it.

The US' new immigration policy and its decision to increase H1B visa fee also contributed to the slide in India-US ties. However, both sides made efforts in the last few months to repair the ties.

The two sides have resolved to firm up a mutually beneficial trade deal soon. On April 14, Trump and PM Modi held a nearly 40-minute phone conversation.

Following the call, PM Modi said he and Trump reviewed the "substantial progress" in the bilateral ties and that both sides are committed to further strengthen the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership in "all areas".

Sources told PTI that India and the US will carry out a comprehensive review of their ties during Rubio's visit and focus on boosting the overall trajectory of the relations.

(With inputs from agencies)