External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Sunday held delegation-level talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, marking a key engagement in the ongoing high-level US-India diplomatic dialogue.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both sides. Jaishankar was accompanied by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and other senior officials, while Rubio was joined by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and members of the visiting American delegation.
India-US strategic partnership 'critical'
During the meeting, Rubio described the India-US relationship as a “critical” strategic partnership and emphasised its growing global significance. "Thank you for welcoming us and our entire delegation. It's already been a fantastic first day and we’re looking forward to our visits and our talks today and learning more about the country," Rubio said.
"As you've highlighted, the United States and India aren't just allies; we're strategic allies, and that's of critical importance. Our strategic partnership is what sets this relationship apart because it’s not simply limited to the region. It extends to opportunities to cooperate globally in different regions of the world," he added.
Rubio further said the partnership between the world's two largest democracies continues to grow stronger. "We have a lot to discuss and a lot to work on. We are the two largest democracies in the world, and so that alone is a baseline for incredible cooperation. We have so many common interests that make all the sense in the world for us to continue to build upon. This is not about restoring or reinvigorating. I've seen people use that terminology. This is about continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership. One of the most important ones that we have, and one of the most important ones in the world," he said.
India and US share comprehensive global strategic partnership: Jaishankar
Responding during the delegation-level talks, Jaishankar said India and the US share a "comprehensive global strategic partnership" built on converging interests across multiple regions and issues.
"We have a comprehensive global strategic partnership, which in plain language means we have a very deep, very broad-based cooperation and a relationship that impacts and influences other regions and the world," Jaishankar said.
"These are complicated times, but as strong partners, I’m very confident we’ll have very open and productive discussions," he added.
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