1 month ago
3
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived successful Kolkata connected Saturday (May 23, 2026) for his four-day diplomatic circuit to India, with the metropolis marking the opening limb of a sojourn that carries sizeable governmental and humanities resonance.
His accomplishment successful the eastbound metropolis ended a 14-year hiatus since an American caput of authorities past visited the city, coming lone weeks aft West Bengal witnessed a landmark governmental modulation with a BJP-led authorities assuming office.
In a station connected X, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said, "Secretary Marco Rubio has landed successful Kolkata. This is his archetypal travel to India. Later today, we volition telephone connected Prime Minister @narendramodi successful New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and galore different items to sermon and beforehand implicit the adjacent fewer days!" Mr. Rubio became the archetypal U.S. caput of authorities to acceptable ft successful Kolkata since Hillary Clinton visited the metropolis successful May 2012.
Although the U.S. Department of State was yet to people Rubio’s Kolkata itinerary, sources successful the U.S. Consulate said helium is apt to sojourn Mother House, the office of Saint Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity successful cardinal Kolkata.
Mr. Rubio’s India itinerary, scheduled from May 23 to 26 and besides encompassing Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi, is being viewed arsenic diplomatically important for his scheduled vigor talks with India and the gathering with Ministers from the Quad nations.
“Well, we privation to merchantability them arsenic overmuch vigor arsenic they'll buy. And obviously, you've seen I deliberation we're astatine historical levels of U.S. production, and U.S. export,” Mr. Rubio told reporters successful Miami earlier helium embarked connected the travel to Sweden and India.
Responding to a question astir India being affected by precocious vigor prices owed to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Mr. Rubio described India arsenic a "great partner" and said helium was looking guardant to gathering with Ministers from the Quad nations.
The Quad gathering is planned for May 26, and it is scheduled to beryllium attended by Mr. Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar presiding implicit it.
