US Secretary of State Rubio Skips Capital New Delhi During India Visit, Drawing Attention
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting India for the second time this year, chose not to visit the capital New Delhi, instead holding talks in Mumbai and Jamnagar. This strategic choice is seen as a reflection of the Trump administration's energy- and trade-focused pragmatic foreign policy approach.
During his second visit of the year to India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped outside conventional diplomatic protocols by not visiting the capital New Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Instead, Rubio met with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and business representatives in Mumbai.
It was reported that as part of his program, Rubio visited the Reliance Industries oil refinery in Jamnagar and met with Mukesh Ambani. Analysts note that this visit reflects the Trump administration's 'deal-oriented' approach to energy and trade issues. Relations between the two countries have been following a tense course for some time due to issues such as customs duties and India's oil imports from Russia.
Assessment: It is claimed that the visit aims to encourage the Reliance refinery to process more Venezuelan crude oil in order to lower gasoline prices in the US ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Sources
- theguardian.com · Link