The United States is prepared to sell India as much energy as it is willing to purchase, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday ahead of his maiden visit to New Delhi.
Speaking to reporters in Miami before departing for Sweden and India, Rubio described India as a “great partner” and said his upcoming visit would provide an opportunity to engage with ministers from the Quad nations.
“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 exports,” Rubio said.
Rubio is scheduled to visit India from May 23 to 26, with stops planned in Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi.
Responding to a question on whether India could face higher energy costs due to disruption in Hormuz, Rubio stated, “We want to be able to do more. We were already in talks with them to do more. We want them to be a bigger part of their portfolio. We also think there are opportunities with Venezuelan oil.”
Rubio cited strong bilateral ties across multiple sectors. “We do a lot of good work with them. And so it is an important trip. I'm glad we're able to do it because I think there'll be a lot for us to talk about,” he explained.
Underlining the significance of the Quad meeting scheduled in New Delhi, Rubio said, "My first meeting as Secretary of State was with the Quad. I'm glad we can do it now in India, and we're going to do one later in the year as well.” He further noted that acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez was expected to visit India next week, opening up additional avenues for cooperation with New Delhi.
The Quad foreign ministers’ meeting is expected to be held on May 26 and attended by Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Rubio’s Kolkata visit will mark the first by a US Secretary of State in nearly 14 years. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had visited the city in 2012.
The US Consulate General in Kolkata is America’s second-oldest consulate in the world. On November 19, 1792, then US President George Washington appointed Benjamin Joy of Newburyport as the first American Consul to Kolkata.