US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday and visited Mother House, the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa, marking the opening leg of his four-day maiden diplomatic tour to India.
Rubio, who landed in the city in the morning, was welcomed at the airport by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor. He later visited the Missionaries of Charity headquarters and interacted with officials of the organisation, which is dedicated to serving the poor, sick and destitute across the world.
His arrival marks a significant diplomatic moment, ending a 14-year gap since a US Secretary of State last visited Kolkata. He is also the first top American diplomat to visit the city since Hillary Clinton’s trip in May 2012.
In a post on X, Gor said, "Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister @narendramodi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!"
In another post, he added, "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 U.S.-India partnership. Looking forward to great conversations and making real progress together!"
Rubio’s India visit, scheduled from May 23 to 26, also includes stops in Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi. The trip is being viewed as strategically significant, with discussions expected on energy, trade, defence cooperation and Quad engagement.
Speaking ahead of his visit in Miami, Rubio said, "Well, 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,"
On India’s energy security concerns, he described the country as "a great partner" and expressed optimism about upcoming discussions.
The US Department of State said Rubio will also visit a Children’s Home in Kolkata during his stopover.
The visit comes ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for May 26, which will be attended by Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, under the chairmanship of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
