U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar prepare to sign an MOU at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, May 26. AP-Yonhap
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India this week will give Washington an opportunity to “get the optics right” regarding ties between the two sides, amid friction over unresolved trade issues and broader international cooperation.
Rubio stressed cooperation on trade, energy, defence and maritime security in meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday as he arrived in New Delhi.
Jaishankar said that the two countries have a comprehensive global strategic partnership “that impacts and influences other regions.”
On Tuesday, Rubio also held talks with top diplomats of India, Australia and Japan as part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which came at a time when the group’s effectiveness appeared at odds with Washington’s assertive trade positions with its allies.
