New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday announced that US President Donald Trump will likely visit “close partner and ally” India “sometime early next year.” Describing New Delhi as one of Washington’s closest partners, Rubio said the Trump administration was working on a plan in that regard. He also called India a strong strategic partner. Rubio highlighted the strong personal rapport between Trump and Prime Minister Modi.
Responding to a query from IANS, he said, “We’re hoping that’s what we’re working towards — sometime early next year to have the President come. I think it’s very positive.” He added that India is “such a close partner and ally of the United States, and the relationship between the Prime Minister and the President couldn’t be closer, which I think is really important in diplomacy.”
Rubio will likely visit India this year to prepare for Trump’s visit. Modi and Trump met last week on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. If the visit materializes, Trump will be visiting India for the first time in seven years. He last visited India in February 2020, when the two countries signed several high-profile defence deals for military hardware worth $3 billion, including 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Navy and six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Army.
At the time, the two countries also signed a broader Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership vision statement. According to the joint statement released then, US President Donald Trump said that a strong and capable Indian military supports peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, and reaffirmed his pledge to support the transfer of advanced US military technology to India. Modi and Trump pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation through expanded military exercises, liaison exchanges, and enhanced maritime and space information sharing. They also agreed to boost industrial partnerships by co-developing and co-producing advanced defence technology and platforms.
India and the US are currently on the verge of signing a trade agreement. The India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) has reached an advanced framework stage, but implementation is currently delayed as New Delhi seeks a distinct competitive tariff advantage over rival nations, NDTV reported. For the past year, India-US ties have been tense since Washington imposed high tariffs on Indian goods, meant as punishment for the purchase of Russian oil. Much to India’s chagrin, the US also went on to engage closely with India’s western adversary, Pakistan.
Responding to a query from IANS, he said, “We’re hoping that’s what we’re working towards — sometime early next year to have the President come. I think it’s very positive.” He added that India is “such a close partner and ally of the United States, and the relationship between the Prime Minister and the President couldn’t be closer, which I think is really important in diplomacy.”
Rubio will likely visit India this year to prepare for Trump’s visit. Modi and Trump met last week on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. If the visit materializes, Trump will be visiting India for the first time in seven years. He last visited India in February 2020, when the two countries signed several high-profile defence deals for military hardware worth $3 billion, including 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Navy and six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Army.
At the time, the two countries also signed a broader Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership vision statement. According to the joint statement released then, US President Donald Trump said that a strong and capable Indian military supports peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, and reaffirmed his pledge to support the transfer of advanced US military technology to India. Modi and Trump pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation through expanded military exercises, liaison exchanges, and enhanced maritime and space information sharing. They also agreed to boost industrial partnerships by co-developing and co-producing advanced defence technology and platforms.
India and the US are currently on the verge of signing a trade agreement. The India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) has reached an advanced framework stage, but implementation is currently delayed as New Delhi seeks a distinct competitive tariff advantage over rival nations, NDTV reported. For the past year, India-US ties have been tense since Washington imposed high tariffs on Indian goods, meant as punishment for the purchase of Russian oil. Much to India’s chagrin, the US also went on to engage closely with India’s western adversary, Pakistan.
Even though Rubio visited India last month seeking to repair ties, the killing of three Indian sailors in attacks on commercial ships by the US Navy in the Gulf has added to the already rocky relationship.