US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit Mumbai, Jamnagar; energy cooperation on agenda
Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Mumbai and Jamnagar next week for talks expected to focus on strengthening the India-US strategic partnership and expanding energy cooperation, the State Department has said.
Rubio will travel to Samarkand in Uzbekistan and Mumbai and Jamnagar in India from October 17 to 22, according to a media note issued by the department.
This will be his second official visit to India this year. In India, he is scheduled to meet senior government officials to exchange views on regional and global developments and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation. He will also hold meetings with business leaders to promote commercial investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.
The visit to Jamnagar is significant as the Gujarat city is home to Reliance Industries' refining hub, one of the largest refining complexes in the world. The State Department, however, did not specify the reason for including Jamnagar in the itinerary.
Rubio's India visit comes days before the October 18 deadline under the Graham Act, which provides for penalties on countries purchasing Russian energy. India has been among the largest buyers of Russian crude since 2022, and its oil purchases have remained a point of friction with Washington.
Before arriving in India, Rubio will attend the C5+1 Ministerial in Samarkand. The platform brings together the United States and the five Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The State Department said Rubio would highlight the role of strategic cooperation in promoting a peaceful and prosperous future for the United States and Central Asia. He will also hold bilateral meetings with senior officials from the five countries and lead a US commercial delegation of more than 200 business leaders.
India and the United States describe their relationship as a comprehensive global strategic partnership, covering defence, trade, technology and energy.
(Inputs from IANS)