New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday emphasised the pivotal nature of the bilateral bond, asserting that the relationship with India serves as a foundational element of Washington's strategic objectives.

During his address at the US Embassy Support Annex Building dedication ceremony in the national capital, the top US diplomat reaffirmed America's commitment to fortifying its enduring alliance with New Delhi.

Highlighting the strategic weight of his ongoing visit, the Secretary of State remarked, 'It is at the cornerstone of this important partnership between us and India, which, as I said, is an incredibly important one. And it's the reason why I'm here on this visit to reaffirm those ties, to build upon them.'

Looking ahead to a more robust phase of bilateral engagement, the visiting diplomat hinted at further collaborative milestones on the horizon.

'We think in the months ahead, we're going to have even more exciting and new announcements to make about the development and the strengthening of the relationship between the two countries,' he added.

These assertions came during a packed itinerary for the top US diplomat, who commenced his maiden official tour of the country by touching down in Kolkata on Saturday, before heading to the national capital later in the day to hold high-level deliberations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Confirming the high-profile arrival, the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, underlined that the strategic visit is slated to centre on reinforcing bilateral cooperation across a spectrum of pivotal domains, including trade, technology, defence ties, and the QUAD alliance.

In a post on X, Ambassador Gor posted, 'Secretary Marco Rubio has landed in Kolkata. This is his first trip to India. Later today, we will call on Prime Minister @narendramodi in New Delhi. Trade, Technology, Defense, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!'

Building on this momentum, the visiting top American diplomat is also scheduled to hold a series of expansive dialogues with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday. The comprehensive agenda for the ministerial talks is tipped to heavily focus on trade dynamics, energy collaboration, inbound investments, critical emerging technologies, and enhancing people-to-people connections.

Furthermore, the diplomatic engagement holds immense strategic weight for the evolving architecture of the QUAD grouping, which brings together India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, as the four partner democracies steadily intensify their collective synergy on maritime security, resilient supply chains, and pressing transnational challenges. (ANI)