United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded a two-day visit to India on Oct 21, signalling progress on trade negotiations and strengthening energy cooperation.
He met India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai, saying a bilateral trade agreement was “weeks, not months away”, with 99 per cent of the groundwork completed.
Skipping New Delhi, he travelled to Jamnagar, Gujarat, where he toured Reliance Industries’ massive oil refinery and met billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
Mr Rubio encouraged Reliance to process more Venezuelan crude as Washington pushes India to diversify its energy imports away from Russia.
Discussions also covered defence, technology, tariffs and regional security.
In Mumbai, Mr Rubio paid tribute to victims of the 2008 terrorist attacks and shared a light-hearted cricket moment with Mr Jaishankar.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and concluding the trade agreement soon.
