Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 23 (ANI): US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Saturday said the relationship between India is not only in strategic cooperation, but also in shared humanitarian values, following a visit to the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In a post on X, Ambassador Gor said,' Joined Secretary Rubio in Kolkata for a visit to the Missionaries of Charity. Moments like these remind us that the US -India partnership rests not only on strong policies, but also on shared values and the spirit of selfless service that transcends borders.'

Earlier, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Saturday welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India, highlighting an 'ambitious agenda' focused on strengthening US-India bilateral ties and advancing cooperation under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD).

In a post on X, Ambassador Gor said, 'Honoured to welcome my friend Secretary Rubio to India! We have an ambitious agenda ahead, including the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, focused on advancing POTUS ' vision for an even stronger US-India partnership.'

https://x.com/USAmbIndia/status/2058005895506694272

He added, 'Looking forward to great conversations and making real progress together!'

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongwith his wife Jeanette D Rubio, on Saturday arrived at Nirmala Shishu Bhavan Missionaries of Charity, in Kolkata. The Nirmala Shishu Bhavan is a network of specialised children's homes managed by the Missionaries of Charity, the Roman Catholic religious congregation established by Mother Teresa in 1950.

Earlier, Rubio alongwith his wife, visited the Mother House in central Kolkata, the global headquarters of Saint Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. The last US Secretary of State to set foot in Kolkata was Hillary Clinton in May 2012.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning, marking the first visit by a top American diplomat to the eastern metropolis in 14 years.

The brief stopover serves as the opening leg of a high-stakes, four-day India tour.

Rubio's first official visit to India marked a significant step in expanding bilateral cooperation between Washington and New Delhi in areas such as trade, technology, defence, energy security and Indo-Pacific strategy.

The visit assumes significance amid growing strategic convergence between the two countries and comes ahead of the upcoming QUAD foreign ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on May 26.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor was also present at the airport to receive the US Secretary of State upon his arrival in Kolkata.The announcement regarding Rubio's arrival was made by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor through a post on X. He stated that Rubio would later travel to New Delhi to hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior Indian leaders.

Interacting with the media in Miami before he departed for Sweden and India, Rubio indicated that the US has already initiated high-level talks with Indian authorities to boost energy exports, a development propelled by American oil and gas production hitting historic highs.

The top American diplomat is slated to undertake this official tour of India from May 23 to 26, with a packed itinerary covering Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi. The high-level engagements during the visit are anticipated to primarily centre around trade dynamics, energy security, and defence cooperation.

To anchor this economic agenda, Rubio underscored that Washington aims to embed itself more deeply into India's diversified energy matrix, whilst hinting at the possibility of collaborative arrangements involving Venezuelan crude provisions.

These remarks came directly against the backdrop of queries regarding the economic pressures India navigates due to volatile global fuel pricing and maritime logistical vulnerabilities stemming from recent instabilities surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Characterising the relationship between the two democracies as robust under these testing global conditions, the US Secretary of State described India as a 'great partner' and stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral ties across multiple sectors.

Furthermore, Rubio affirmed his scheduled attendance at the forthcoming QUAD foreign ministers' meeting, which will be hosted in New Delhi as part of his diplomatic itinerary.

In a major diplomatic deployment matching this regional focus, India is gearing up to host the foreign ministers of the QUAD nations in the national capital to deliberate on the evolving security matrix of the Indo-Pacific and the escalating friction points across West Asia.

The high-level congregation of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue--bringing together India, the United States, Australia, and Japan--is locked in for May 26 under the chairmanship of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. (ANI)