US-India Ties ‘Vitally Important,’ Says Rubio After Talks with Jaishankar in Manila

Manila: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday stressed the importance of Washington’s ties with India, terming them as “vitally important”.

Rubio made the statement following his meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the ongoing multilateral Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) events in the Philippines.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and other officials were also present during the meeting.

“Always good to see my friend, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of ASEAN. We discussed regional security issues, the Quad, trade, and defense agreements. Our relationship with India is vitally important,” Rubio posted on X.

Gor described the meeting between Rubio and EAM Jaishankar as “productive” and hinted at the US Secretary of State’s visit to India later this year.

“A very productive bilateral meeting between Secretary Marco Rubio and S Jaishankar on the sidelines of ASEAN. In fact, Secretary Rubio might be coming back to India later this year… stay tuned,” Gor wrote on X.

Sharing details regarding his meeting with Rubio, EAM Jaishankar stated that they reviewed key priority areas under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and discussed regional, global and multilateral issues of shared interest.

“Pleased to meet Secretary Marco Rubio of the USA here in Manila. Our meeting focused on areas which are priority for the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade and; tariffs, energy, defence and; security, critical minerals and; artificial intelligence. We also exchanged quick perspectives on regional, global and multilateral issues of mutual interest,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X. They also attended the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. (IANS)

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