US Secretary of State Rubio arrives in Kolkata as part of first trip to India

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday, 23 May, beginning his four-day visit to India with a stop carrying political and historical significance.

His arrival marks the first visit by a US secretary of state to Kolkata in 14 years, coming weeks after West Bengal underwent a major political shift with a BJP-led government taking 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 Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Trade, technology, defence, Quad, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”

In a subsequent post, Gor said, “Honored to welcome my friend @SecRubio to India! We have an ambitious agenda ahead, including the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, focused on advancing @POTUS’ vision for an even stronger US-India partnership. Looking forward to great conversations and making real progress together!”

Rubio is the first US secretary of state to visit Kolkata since Hillary Clinton travelled to the city in May 2012.

According to the US Department of State, Rubio will visit Mother House, the headquarters of Saint Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in central Kolkata, as well as the city’s Children’s Home.

His India tour, scheduled from 23 to 26 May, will also cover Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi. The visit is being closely watched for planned energy discussions and the upcoming meeting of Quad foreign ministers.

“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 departing for Sweden and India.

Asked about India’s exposure to high energy prices amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio described India as a “great partner” and said he looked forward to meeting ministers from the Quad nations.

The Quad meeting, scheduled for 26 May, is expected to be attended by Rubio, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and Japanese foreign minister Motegi Toshimitsu, with Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar presiding.

With PTI inputs