New Delhi : Signalling a major diplomatic push, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning, marking the first visit by a top American diplomat to the eastern metropolis in 14 years.
The brief stopover serves as the opening leg of a high-stakes, four-day India tour aimed at repairing strained bilateral ties and reinforcing regional partnerships.
Shortly after landing, Rubio visited the Mother House in central Kolkata, the global headquarters of Saint Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, and its adjoining Children's Home, a visit carrying strong symbolic and cultural resonance. The last US Secretary of State to set foot in Kolkata was Hillary Clinton in May 2012.
Rubio's first official visit to India marked a significant step in expanding bilateral cooperation between Washington and New Delhi in areas such as trade, technology, defence, energy security and Indo-Pacific strategy.
The visit assumes significance amid growing strategic convergence between the two countries and comes ahead of the upcoming QUAD foreign ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on May 26.
