Kolkata, May 23
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday, beginning a four-day diplomatic visit to India that is being closely watched for both its strategic importance and political symbolism.
The visit marks the first time in 14 years that a serving US secretary of state has travelled to Kolkata, with the eastern city becoming the opening stop of Rubio’s maiden official trip to India. His arrival also comes shortly after West Bengal saw a major political shift, with a BJP-led government taking office in the state.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed Rubio’s arrival in a post on X, saying the American delegation would later travel to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days,” Gor wrote.
Rubio is the first US secretary of state to visit Kolkata since Hillary Clinton travelled to the city in 2012.
While the US State Department has not officially released his Kolkata schedule, sources at the US Consulate indicated that Rubio is expected to visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Saint Teresa.
His India tour, running from 23 to 26 May, also includes stops in Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi. Diplomats and analysts are viewing the trip as significant amid growing US-India cooperation on energy, defence and Indo-Pacific security.
Before departing for India, Rubio told reporters in Miami that the United States was keen to expand energy exports to India.
“We want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy,” he said, pointing to record levels of US oil and gas production.
Responding to concerns about rising global energy prices linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio described India as a “great partner” and stressed the importance of continued cooperation.
A key highlight of the visit will be the Quad meeting scheduled for 26 May. Rubio is expected to join Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for discussions focused on regional security and strategic coordination in the Indo-Pacific.
