First in 14 years: US secy of state Rubio to visit Kolkata today

Kolkata: Kolkata will host a US secretary of state for the first time in 14 years on Saturday as Marco Rubio arrives in the city for an eight-hour stopover.Rubio, one of US President Donald Trump's closest foreign policy aides who also serves as the acting National Security Advisor, is expected to visit the Missionaries of Charity and Victoria Memorial during his brief stop in the city before heading for the next leg of his India tour.Hillary Clinton was the last US secretary of state to have visited Kolkata in 2012 when she met the then chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Writers' Buildings. Rubio's arrival comes at a politically significant moment, just weeks after Bengal witnessed a historic election that brought an end to a 15-year-old regime.Rubio will undertake a four-day India visit from May 23 to 26 with scheduled stops in Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi. His discussions with Indian officials are expected to centre on energy cooperation, trade, defence and regional security issues. His flight is likely to touch down at Kolkata airport from Sweden at 7.30 am.Rubio's Kolkata visit is also unfolding against the backdrop of growing strategic engagement between India and the United States. Ahead of his departure for India, he described Delhi as a "great partner" and signalled Washington's intent to deepen energy ties with New Delhi.Speaking to reporters in Miami before leaving for Sweden and India, Rubio said the US was willing to expand its energy exports significantly. "We want to sell them as much energy as they'll buy," Rubio said, while responding to a question on India's energy security concerns amid volatility in global oil markets. He added that Washington wanted energy supplies from the US to become a larger component of India's portfolio and stressed that there was "a lot to work on" between the two countries.Rubio also underlined the broader strategic value of the India relationship, calling his trip "important" because it would include discussions with Indian lawmakers and interactions with foreign ministers of the Quad grouping. The diplomatic engagement will culminate in New Delhi on May 26 when India hosts the Quad foreign ministers' meeting involving the US, Japan and Australia.