Jaishankar-Rubio hold delegation level talks, US State Secretary says 'India a strategic ally'

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held delegation-level talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, with both leaders underlining the growing depth of India-US ties. Rubio described the relationship as one of Washington’s most important strategic partnerships, saying cooperation between the two democracies extends beyond regional issues to global opportunities across multiple sectors and regions. Jaishankar was accompanied by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior officials, while Rubio was joined by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and members of the visiting American delegation.

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What Rubio said

During the talks, Rubio said the two countries, as the world’s largest democracies, shared many common interests that formed a strong foundation for deeper cooperation. He emphasised that the India-US relationship was already solid and strong, adding that the focus was not on restoring ties but on continuing to build one of the world’s most important strategic partnerships. "The US and India aren't just allies. We are strategic allies and that's of critical importance. We obviously work with countries all over the world on a variety of issues, but our strategic partnership is what sets this relationship apart because it's not simply limited to the region, it extends to offer opportunities to cooperate globally in different regions of the world, and that includes potentially, as I said, as we discussed a bit last night at dinner, in the Western Hemisphere and places like that," he said. He also stressed that the partnership was already strong and continuing to expand further through closer collaboration on shared interests. Rubio said his first day in India had been “fantastic” and that he was looking forward to further discussions and engagements in the country. He described India and the United States as strategic allies, stressing that their partnership goes beyond regional cooperation and extends to global opportunities across different parts of the world.

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In his talks, Rubio also highlighted that the US and India are “are the two largest democracies in the world.” This is not about restoring or reinvigorating. I've seen people use that terminology. This is about continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership. One of the most important ones that we have, and one of the most important ones in the world..."