E-Paper
US secretary of state Marco Rubio to hold first bilateral meeting with EAM Jaishankar
Jaishankar is in the US at the government’s invitation to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, held on Monday.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar is set to meet US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Wednesday, marking their first bilateral engagement under the new administration.
Jaishankar is in the US at the government’s invitation to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, held on Monday.
“Secretary Rubio meets with Indian external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar at the department of state,” the state department said, releasing the schedule of the new secretary of state on the first day as the top American diplomat.
Following the first QUAD ministerial at the State Department’s Foggy Bottom headquarters, the top diplomats of the world’s oldest and largest democracies will convene for a bilateral meeting at the same venue.
“Secretary Rubio meets with Indo-Pacific Quad Foreign Ministers at the Department of State,” said the advisory.
The QUAD, an informal alliance of Australia, India, Japan, and the US, was initiated during Donald Trump’s first term. The Biden administration later elevated it to a leadership-level forum.
Rubio’s choice to begin his tenure with the QUAD ministerial as his first multilateral meeting and India as his first bilateral partner is noteworthy, as new US administrations traditionally prioritise initial foreign engagements with neighbouring countries like Canada and Mexico or NATO allies.
In a unanimous 99-0 vote, Rubio, the former US Senator from Florida, was confirmed by the Senate, with all 99 sitting senators, including Rubio himself, in support. The Senate currently has one vacancy following the resignation of Vice President J.D. Vance from his role as the US Senator from Ohio.
In a significant move last year, Rubio, at 53, introduced a bill in Congress to treat India on par with key US allies like Japan, Israel, South Korea, and NATO members. The bill aimed to enhance technology transfers and support India’s efforts in countering escalating threats to its territorial integrity.
The bill also proposed to deny security assistance to Pakistan if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India.
Rubio, a US Senator from Florida from January 3, 2011, to January 20, 2025, is known for his hawkish stance on China. He is banned from entering China, having been sanctioned twice in 2020. As the top Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Rubio also made history as the first Latino to serve as the US Secretary of State.
