Marco Rubio, the newly appointed US Secretary of State, held his first bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar. This meeting took place at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Rubio’s decision to meet Jaishankar early in his tenure highlights the Trump administration’s priority to strengthen ties with India.
Focus on economic ties and migration issues
During the meeting, Secretary Rubio talked about the Trump administration’s plans to make economic ties with India stronger and work on problems related to irregular migration. According to a statement by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, “The two top diplomats affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the India-U.S. partnership.”
They also talked about several important topics. These included new and advanced technologies, defence cooperation, energy projects, and keeping the Indo-Pacific region safe and peaceful. Bruce said the meeting looked at ways to improve the relationship between the US and India and also discussed regional issues.
Strengthening the Quad partnership
Before his one-on-one meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio attended a quad meeting with Jaishankar, Penny Wong from Australia, and Iwaya Takeshi from Japan. This meeting focused on ways to ensure peace and order in the Indo-Pacific region.
Earlier, Rubio had said the Quad meeting was important for collaborating with allies worldwide. At the end of the meeting, the four leaders took a group photo but did not speak to the media or answer any questions.
Jaishankar's response after the meeting
Jaishankar took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his thoughts after meeting Rubio. He wrote, “Reviewed our extensive bilateral partnership, of which @secrubio has been a strong advocate. Also exchanged views on a wide range of regional and global issues. Look forward to closely working with him to advance our strategic cooperation.”
India’s foreign minister, Jaishankar, visited the United States to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump, who became the 47th US president on January 20, 2025.
Shortly after Marco Rubio officially became the US Secretary of State, he showed his commitment to strengthening ties by quickly focusing on meetings with key allies like India and the Quad nations. This marked the start of Rubio’s efforts to build stronger partnerships with international leaders and countries.
These meetings highlight the importance of the US and India working together to address challenges in the region and around the world.