US expresses desire to advance economic ties with India, address irregular migration

Washington, Jan 22: At his maiden meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, newly-appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed the Trump administration's desire to advance economic ties with India, and address concerns related to irregular migration, a spokesperson for the top US diplomat said Tuesday.

Rubio, 53, opted to have his first bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart, underlining the importance the Trump administration attaches to strengthening ties with India.

He met Jaishankar, 70, at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, soon after a Quad ministerial meeting.

Rubio "emphasised the Trump administration's desire to work with India to advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration", State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout after the meeting.

The two top diplomats affirmed a shared commitment to continuing to strengthen the India-US partnership, she said.

"They discussed a wide range of topics, including regional issues and opportunities to further deepen the US-India relationship, in particular on critical and emerging technologies, defence cooperation, energy, and on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Bruce said.

In a post on X after the meeting, Jaishankar said he was delighted to meet Rubio for his first bilateral meeting after assuming charge as secretary of state.

"Reviewed our extensive bilateral partnership, of which @secrubio has been a strong advocate. Also exchanged views on a wide range of regional and global issues. Look forward to closely working with him to advance our strategic cooperation," said Jaishankar, who is here at the invitation of the US government to attend the swearing in ceremony of Donald Trump, who was sworn in as the 47th president of the US on Monday.