Govt rebuts opposition's charge, defends Jaishankar-Rubio Mumbai meet
Cites Earlier Instances Of Foreign Leaders Being Hosted Outside Delhi
Government officials defended external affairs minister S Jaishankar's forthcoming meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai, citing numerous instances of foreign leaders and ministers being hosted outside of Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also announced that Jaishankar would be the guest of honor at the US's 250th anniversary celebrations in Mumbai.
The government faced criticism from the opposition following US Ambassador Sergio Gor's comment that the Americans expected Jaishankar to join Rubio in Mumbai, with Congress alleging that the minister had been "summoned."
In response to inquiries, the MEA clarified that Jaishankar would host both Rubio and his UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Mumbai on different days – Oct 20 and Oct 19, respectively. The MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, emphasized that it was customary for India to host foreign dignitaries from time to time in various cities across the country.
Previous examples include hosting Spain's PM in Baroda, Germany's Chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad, Mauritius' PM in Varanasi, and hosting SCO Foreign Ministers in Goa, among others.
Jaiswal further highlighted that the purpose of Rubio's visit was to review India-US relations and discuss ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between the two nations. Expected topics of discussion encompassed key areas of bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade and investment, defense, critical and emerging technologies, and other areas of mutual interest.
Additionally, both sides would exchange views on regional and global developments during the visit, which aimed to sustain high-level engagement and advance shared priorities.
Following his productive meeting with the UAE minister on Thursday, Jaishankar would have another meeting with Al Nahyan on Monday. The two ministers are scheduled to review bilateral cooperation under the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, focusing on areas such as energy, trade and investments, fintech, defense, and connectivity.
They also discussed the situation in West Asia and the Strait of Hormuz, exchanging perspectives on bilateral and global issues in the spirit of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
