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 the visit. Rubio visited Mother House, the headquarters of Saint Teresa's Missionaries of Charity and the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity and spoke with its officials.
Accompanied by US Ambassador Gor and other officials, Rubio later visited Nirmala Shishu Bhavan - a children’s home run by Missionaries of Charity - during his Kolkata stopover. The Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa in Kolkata, is a Catholic congregation dedicated to serving the poor, sick, and destitute across the world.
It was 14 years ago when an American secretary of state last visited the city. Rubio became the first US secretary of state to set foot in Kolkata since Hillary Clinton visited the city in May 2012.
Rubio’s arrival in Kolkata is also significant as it happens only weeks after West Bengal witnessed a landmark political transition with a BJP-led government assuming office.
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, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!"
Rubio’s schedule —
Rubio’s India itinerary, scheduled from May 23 to 26 and also encompassing Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi, is being viewed as diplomatically significant for his scheduled energy talks with India and the meeting with ministers from the QUAD nations.
“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.
Responding to a question about India being affected by high energy prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio described India as a "great partner" and said he was looking forward to meeting with ministers from the Quad nations.
The QUAD meeting is planned for May 26, and it is scheduled to be attended by Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar presiding over it.
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