Marco Rubio's visit provides opportunity to further advance India-US cooperation: MEA

Mumbai, October 20 (IANS) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday extended a warm welcome to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he arrived in Mumbai for his second visit to India, noting that his coming provides an opportunity to further advance cooperation across various pillars of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.For his visit to Mumbai, Rubio is accompanied by his wife, Jeanette Rubio and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "Welcome to Mumbai, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on your second visit to India! He was received by Shri Ashish Shelar, Minister of Culture, Electronics, IT and AI, Government of Maharashtra at the airport. The visit provides an opportunity to further advance cooperation across the various pillars of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership."Gor stated that he looked forward to a "productive visit" and advancing India-US ties."Great to be back in Mumbai, this time with my friend US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Looking forward to a productive visit and to advancing U.S.-India ties," Gor posted on X.Later in the day, Rubio will hold talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, with discussions expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade, investment, defence, critical emerging technologies, and other areas of mutual interest.Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi last week, the MEA spokesperson said that Rubio and EAM Jaishankar will also discuss regional and global developments."In so far as the visit of the Secretary of State is concerned, this forthcoming visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review India-US relations and discuss ways to further strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership that we have with the United States. Discussions are expected to cover key areas of our bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade, investment, defence, critical emerging technologies, and other areas of mutual interest. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments. The visit will provide an opportunity to sustain the high-level engagement between the two countries and advance our shared priorities," Jaiswal said.After concluding his engagements in Mumbai, Rubio will travel to Gujarat's Jamnagar for talks that will include "enhanced energy cooperation", the US State Department said.