India at cornerstone of US approach to Indo-Pacific: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

NEW DELHI: Asserting that India-US partnership continues to deepen, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said that relationship with New Delhi remains at the cornerstone of Washington's approach to the Indo-Pacific and both countries will have some "exciting and new announcements" to make about the development and the strengthening of the relationship in the coming months.

Addressing the gathering before inaugurating the US Embassy's Support Annex building in New Delhi, Rubio spotlighted the "important role" India plays in the US approach to the Indo-Pacific.

"It is a sign of our commitment to this important relationship between the United States and India. This relationship between our two countries is at the cornerstone of our approach to the Indo-Pacific," said Rubio.

He highlighted that "personal relationship" between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump continues to solidify the India-US ties. 

"Anchoring that is the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister. It's a personal relationship that dates back to the first administration, when the President had a chance to visit here. And it has carried over into this second administration, and you can just see the connection between them. And I think that's incredibly important. It is. The connection between leaders is incredibly important. These are two very serious leaders that are focused not just on the short term, but on the long term," he said.

The US Secretary of State asserted that the partnership between Washington and New Delhi has deepened "in ways that don't often make headlines or aren't splashy", but are important and real and tangible and enduring.

"We've expanded commercial ties now with more than $20 billion in investments, $20 billion in investments from Indian companies in the United States. We've deepened a security partnership through military exercises in the Indo-Pacific. And of course, as part of that, we recognise that an orderly and a secure consular system is vital to solidifying this important relationship. That's why we're introducing a new America First visa scheduling tool that prioritises business professionals that strengthen these ties," Rubio stated. (IANS)

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