US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit India from May 23-26

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India from May 23 to 26 for discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade defence energy and regional security This will be Rubiorsquos first official visit to India since assuming officeThe announcement was made by the US Department of State which said Rubiorsquos fourday itinerary includes visits to Kolkata Agra Jaipur and New DelhiAccording to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott Rubio will engage with senior Indian officials during his visit and discuss a wide range of strategic issues including defence partnerships trade ties energy cooperation and regional security mattersQuad foreign ministersrsquo meeting to be held in New DelhiA major highlight of Rubiorsquos visit will be his participation in the Quad foreign ministersrsquo meeting scheduled to take place in New Delhi on May 26 The Quad grouping includes India the United States Japan and Australia and has increasingly focused on regional stability maritime security and strategic cooperation in the IndoPacific regionThe meeting is expected to be chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu are also expected to attendDiplomatic sources indicated that discussions during the Quad meeting are likely to cover several pressing international developments including the continuing crisis in West Asia maritime security concerns and broader geopolitical challenges affecting the IndoPacific regionVisit comes after NATO foreign ministersrsquo meeting in SwedenBefore arriving in India Rubio will travel to Sweden to attend the NATO Foreign Ministersrsquo Meeting on May 22 The US State Department said discussions at the NATO gathering will focus on increasing defence investment among alliance members and improving burden sharing within the blocRubio is also expected to hold meetings with counterparts from the Arctic Seven nations during his Sweden visit The discussions are likely to centre on economic and security interests in the Arctic region along with strengthening strategic cooperation in the High NorthUS embassy says visit will deepen strategic tiesThe US Embassy in New Delhi confirmed Rubiorsquos participation in the Quad ministerial meeting and described the visit as an important step in strengthening IndiaUS relationsIn a statement the embassy said it looked forward to welcoming Rubio for his first visit to India highlevel engagements with Indian leaders and participation in the Quad meetings The embassy also referred to the ongoing celebrations marking 250 years of AmericaIndia and the United States have significantly expanded strategic cooperation in recent years across sectors including defence critical technologies trade and clean energy Rubiorsquos visit is expected to further reinforce bilateral ties and deepen coordination on regional and global issuesFocus likely on IndoPacific and regional securityThe upcoming Quad meeting in New Delhi comes at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions in several regions including West Asia and the IndoPacific Officials are expected to deliberate on ways to strengthen coordination among Quad nations in areas such as maritime security supply chain resilience infrastructure development and emerging technologiesThe meeting is also likely to underline the Quadrsquos continued focus on maintaining a free open and inclusive IndoPacific region amid evolving global security challengesWith inputs from PTI