Washington, January 22
US Foreign Minister Marco Rubio held a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar. Rubio said President Donald Trump’s administration is keen to expand economic ties with India, but also to address issues related to illegal immigration. Rubio (53) preferred to hold the first bilateral meeting with India’s foreign minister, sending a message that the Trump administration is placing a lot of importance on strengthening ties with India.
Rubio met with Jaishankar at the State Department’s Foggy Bottom headquarters immediately after the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting. “Rubio emphasized the Trump administration’s desire to advance economic ties with India and address issues related to illegal immigration,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. They discussed various issues including strengthening US-India relations, emerging technologies, defense cooperation, energy and promoting an open and free Indo-Pacific region. The meeting reviewed the comprehensive bilateral partnership, of which Rubio has been a strong supporter. Also shared views on various regional and global issues. Looking forward to working closely with them to further the strategic cooperation between the two countries.” Jaishankar is here at the invitation of the US government to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump. Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday. -News-Patiala