PM Modi & Marco Rubio Discuss Regional Stability, Global Peace & Strategic Cooperation

PM Modi met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 23 and said that he was pleased to receive him. Wide-ranging discussions were held between the Prime Minister and the top US diplomat, covering progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership as well as issues related to regional and global peace and security.

PM Modi reaffirmed India's consistent support for peace efforts and reiterated the call for the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, the PMO said.

"Prime Minister Modi requested Secretary Rubio to convey his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to their continued exchanges," a PMO readout said.

"Secretary Rubio briefed Prime Minister Modi on the sustained progress in bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including defence, strategic technologies, trade and investment, energy security, connectivity, education, and people-to-people ties," the Prime Minister's Office said.

Secretary Rubio also shared the US perspective on various regional and global issues, including the situation in West Asia, it added.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also attended the meeting and said that Secretary Rubio had extended President Trump's invitation to PM Modi, inviting him to visit the White House in Washington in the near future.

Rubio is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and take part in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.

He began his India visit in Kolkata on Saturday, paying a visit to Mother House, the headquarters of Saint Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Accompanied by US Ambassador Sergio Gor, Rubio was welcomed upon arrival before interacting with representatives of the charitable organisation.

His stop in Kolkata marked the first visit by a US Secretary of State to the city in 14 years and followed a major political transition in West Bengal, where a BJP-led government recently assumed office. Rubio is also the first US Secretary of State to visit Kolkata since Hillary Clinton’s trip to the city in May 2012.

(With Inputs From ANI)