Washington, DC/New Delhi: US president Donald Trump is likely to visit India early next year, the country’s secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Saturday, adding that Washington is working on the arrangements.
‘We’re hoping that’s what we’re working towards, sometime early next year to have the president come,’ Rubio stated, as reported by Republic TV.
Rubio described India as one of America’s closest partners and highlighted the strong personal relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the the US president.
‘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,” the secretary of state added.
Rubio said that India-US ties are at a strong phase and affirmed that discussions between the two countries continue to make progress, while speaking on the overall bilateral relationship.
“I think it’s going fantastic. It’s very strong. We had a great meeting with the Prime Minister; the president did at the G7. We’re hoping to finalize a trade deal. We’re on the last inches of getting it done and it’s very positive,” he said.
He looks forward to another Quad meeting soon, Rubio said and expressed hope of returning to India before the end of the year to help prepare for the proposed presidential visit.
Addressing questions on energy security amid the West Asia crisis, he said India has long focused on diversifying its energy sources and that the United States wants to play a greater role in supporting those efforts.
Washington is also exploring ways to facilitate greater energy cooperation, including opportunities linked to Venezuela’s heavy crude production, which India has the refining capacity to process, the US secretary of state said.
US ambassador to India Sergio Gor is also reported to have said that India and the United States are close to concluding a bilateral trade agreement, with only “a handful of issues” remaining unresolved.
He described India and the United States as “natural partners with limitless potential” and said the close personal relationship between Prime Minister Modi and president Trump continues to be a key pillar of bilateral ties.
Rubio’s remarks come days after president Donald Trump himself hinted at a possible visit to India while speaking on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.
“We’ll be going to India sometime in the future,” Trump had said, while describing Prime Minister Modi as “a very tough negotiator” and “tough trader”.
India has “a great friend in the White House” as long as he remains president, Trump has said, recalling the “Howdy Modi” event in Houston and praising the Prime Minister’s political leadership and negotiating skills.
