Calling India one of the United States’ “most important strategic partners in the world”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday underscored the growing depth of bilateral ties during talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, highlighting cooperation across security, trade, energy and emerging technologies.
Addressing a joint press conference after delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House, Rubio said the India-US relationship was rooted in a deeper strategic convergence that went beyond conventional diplomacy.
“A strategic partnership is something very different,” Rubio said. “A strategic partnership is when your interests as two nations are aligned, and you work together strategically to solve those problems.”
Emphasising the breadth of bilateral engagement, he said, “The list of issues that we work together with India on, the breadth of scope of them, is what highlights the fact that India is an important strategic partner in the United States, one of our most important strategic partners in the world.”
Rubio also stressed the shared democratic character of the two countries, saying, “Democracies respond directly to their people, and you have to respond constantly.”
On security, the US Secretary of State pointed to robust counterterrorism cooperation between Washington and New Delhi, noting that both countries had suffered from global terrorist networks. “There was a strong counterterrorism alignment as a result of that,” he said.
He also flagged increasing collaboration in technology and innovation, saying the two sides were aligned on addressing the opportunities and risks posed by emerging technologies in the 21st century. “There is a tremendous strategic alliance between our countries and agreement on that point,” he said.
Referring to maritime security and trade routes,Rubio reiterated the importance of ensuring the “unimpeded flow of commerce, especially in international airspace and international waters”, including in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Earlier in the day, Rubio described his visit to India as “fantastic” and said the two countries were “not just allies” but “strategic allies”, with cooperation extending to multiple regions globally.
“We are the two largest democracies in the world, and so that alone is a baseline for incredible cooperation,” he said, adding that the visit was aimed at “continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership”.
Jaishankar held delegation-level talks with Rubio in New Delhi, attended by senior officials from both sides, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who accompanied Rubio, later said the meeting advanced cooperation in defence, energy, trade and emerging technologies.
Rubio had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly after arriving in New Delhi on Saturday.
(With inputs from ANI)