US Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins 4-day India trip

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, as he began a four-day trip to the South Asian nation.

Before starting his trip, the top diplomat had termed the trip “important.”

“There's a lot to work on with India, they're a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip,” said Rubio.

Washington’s Ambassador to New Delhi Sergio Gor wrote on US social media company X that Rubio landed early Saturday.

“This is his first trip to India,” he said.

He said that "trade, technology, defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days.”

After his engagement in Kolkata, Rubio will head to New Delhi to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Indian official.

He is scheduled to hold talks with his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, on Sunday and will participate in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad, foreign ministers meeting, which India is hosting on Tuesday.

Rubio is also scheduled to visit the Indian cities of Agra and Jaipur.

A US State Department statement ahead of the visit said the secretary will discuss "energy security, trade, and defense cooperation during meetings with senior Indian officials."