NEW DELHI (AP) 鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday ahead of a meeting next week with his counterparts from India, Australia, and Japan, members of the Indo-Pacific .
Rubio’s first official trip to India comes as Washington seeks to stabilize relations with New Delhi after ties soured over President Donald , which raised duties on several Indian exports.
Much of Rubio鈥檚 four-day visit, however, will focus on a multi-city tour, along with a gala reception in New Delhi marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot to work on with India, they鈥檙e a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip,鈥� Rubio said ahead of his visit to India.
Rubio arrived in eastern city of Kolkata early Saturday where he is later scheduled to visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa. In coming days, he will also visit northern cities of Agra and Jaipur, known for iconic monuments and palaces.
Sergio Gor, the U.S. ambassador in India, in a social media post said Rubio will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi later Saturday in New Delhi. 鈥淭rade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!鈥� he said.
He is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with India鈥檚 External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Sunday.
On Tuesday in New Delhi, Rubio will participate in the ministerial meeting of the Quad that has repeatedly accused China of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea and aggressively pushing its maritime territorial claims.
Beijing maintains that its military is purely defensive to protect what it says are its sovereign rights and calls the its economic growth and influence.
After his inauguration in January last year, was meeting with the foreign ministers of the other Quad countries, both jointly and in separate sessions.
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