New Delhi, Oct 16 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks on October 20 in Mumbai to bolster the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, with discussions expected to cover energy, trade, defence, critical and emerging technologies and several other key areas of bilateral cooperation.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during his bi-weekly media briefing, was asked if Jaishankar will be meeting Rubio during his upcoming visit to India, the agenda of the meeting, and why Mumbai has been “chosen” for it.
“On October 19-20, 2026, the external affairs minister will host in Mumbai the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for an official visit. On October 20, the external affairs minister will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attend the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Independence of the United States as a Guest of Honour,” he said.
The forthcoming visit of Secretary Rubio will provide an opportunity for both sides to review India-US relations and discuss ways to “further strengthen our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership that we have with the United States,” the MEA spokesperson said.
Discussions are expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation including energy, trade, investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies and other areas of mutual interest, he added.
The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to sustain the high-level engagement between the two countries and advance our shared priorities,” Jaiswal said.
On the meeting taking place in Mumbai, the MEA spokesperson said it has been the practice in the last decade or so that “we have hosted foreign dignitaries outside Delhi”.
“To give you some examples, the Prime Minister hosted the Prime Minister of Spain in Baroda (Vadodara). He hosted Chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister of Mauritius was hosted by him in Varanasi, and then the external affairs minister hosted the foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa. He hosted the foreign minister of Botswana at Kevadia, Gujarat, and the external affairs minister also hosted the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar,” he said.
So that was just to give a few examples of such meetings that have happened outside Delhi, he added.
During an interactive session at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum here on Thursday, US envoy Sergio Gor said that Rubio will meet Indian government officials in Mumbai and “we expect that minister Dr S Jaishankar will be there”.
His comments had created a flutter online and also drew a sharp response from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who on Friday questioned the government over Secretary Rubio’s proposed meeting with Indian government officials in Mumbai next week, claiming that officials of the MEA were “confused” over it.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi may want to explain the matter.
The US secretary of state will travel to India next week to further strengthen energy cooperation, the Department of State said on Tuesday.
Rubio will first visit Samarkand in Uzbekistan and then travel to Mumbai and Jamnagar in India from October 17-22, it had said.
Gor on Thursday also said Secretary Rubio’s upcoming visit to India will be a little more business-focused and he will meet “some of the folks” at Reliance during a trip to Jamnagar in Gujarat.
On the proposed bilateral trade agreement between India and the US, Jaiswal said both sides “remain engaged for early conclusion” of this pact, and referred to the remarks in the last two days by the external affairs minister and the Union commerce minister on its progress.
The two sides continue to engage to iron out differences on the proposed deal, and negotiations are heading towards a “landing point”, Jaishankar had said at an earlier session at the Bloomberg New Economy, noting that the core fundamentals of the bilateral strategic partnership remained unchanged.
Gor on Thursday had said negotiations for a bilateral trade deal were moving at an “incredible pace”, and the “big items are done”, underlining that he was confident that both sides will get the pact through.
During an interactive session at the Forum here, Gor had also echoed Jaishankar’s assessment of the progress in the proposed India-US trade pact, saying “we are very close to landing it”.
On the visit of the UAE deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Jaiswal said it will be “an opportunity to review all facets of bilateral cooperation under the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The two delegations will assess and take forward the initiatives in the areas of energy, trade, investment, fintech, defence and connectivity. There will naturally be an opportunity also for a detailed exchange on the situation in West Asia, as also on global and other multilateral issues.
(PTI News)
