New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a four-day visit, said an ‘America First’ visa scheduling tool has been introduced for a broader push to upgrade operations of American consulates.
In his first press briefing, after inaugurating the US Embassy Support Annex Building, Rubio spoke about the visa tool that gives priority to business professionals and others whose travel directly strengthens economic and strategic links with the United States.
The America First visa, Rubio said, is also for US mission officials. “The Americans who work here, the men and women of this mission, who are at the front lines every single day of advancing America’s national interest and America’s national security… So it’s an honour to be here today,” Rubio expressed.
“I wanted to keep this brief because it’s hot… I want to say one thing. This facility saved Americans money because it’s going to make us more efficient. It’s going to allow us to do the work we have to do anyways, but allow us to do it more accurately, faster, and
in a more efficient way. And so this is very important,” Rubio added.
Rubio mentioned how US-India relationship has been growing in ways that don’t always make headlines.
“20 billion in investments from Indian companies in the United States,” he said, before highlighting a security partnership through military exercises in the Indo-Pacific.
Sharing his views about the ties between PM Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, the Secretary of State said: “It is a personal relationship (between PM Modi and President Trump) which dates back to the first administration when the President had a chance to visit here and it has carried over into the second administration. You can just see the connection between them… The connection between leaders is incredibly important. These are two very serious leaders who are focused not just on the short term but on the long term.”
On Quad, Rubio said, “My very first meeting officially as Secretary of State was a meeting of the Quad. We are going to renew that. We wanted to do it here, not just because of our commitment to that structure of work, but also as a tangible sign of what an important role India plays in the United States and in our posture and in our approach to the Indo-Pacific.”
Rubio, who called upon PM Modi shortly after flying to Delhi from Kolkata, said they deliberated on various aspects of India-US bilateral ties, especially in areas of defence, trade, energy and technology.