Washington, DC: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday departed from India, stating that the visit had advanced India-US “economic and strategic priorities in the region”.
In a post on X, he said, “Just departed India having advanced our economic and strategic priorities in the region.”
Rubio said continued efforts to strengthen the economic partnership and energy security cooperation would benefit both countries. He said, “Continuing to build our economic partnership and energy security cooperation makes both our nations stronger.”
The remarks came as Rubio concluded his visit to India on October 21, following engagements in Mumbai. His visit took place amid efforts by New Delhi and Washington to strengthen their strategic partnership, advance negotiations on a proposed bilateral trade agreement and expand energy cooperation.
In Mumbai, Rubio held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the India-US strategic partnership and progress in negotiations on the proposed trade deal. He also paid floral tributes to the victims of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed the lives of six American nationals.
Energy cooperation has emerged as an important component of the broader bilateral relationship, with discussions encompassing energy trade, India’s imports of Russian petroleum and opportunities to expand purchases of American energy resources.
The visit also drew attention to potential investment by Reliance Industries in a new petroleum processing facility in the United States. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor had highlighted the prospective project in the context of efforts to increase domestic energy production and generate employment.