Ranit Kr. Singh , Kolkata - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday to begin a four-day diplomatic tour of India, marking the first time in 14 years an American secretary of state has visited the city. The diplomatically significant visit, running from May 23 to 26, comes just weeks after West Bengal experienced a landmark political transition with a BJP-led government assuming office. Rubio's itinerary encompasses Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi, and features scheduled energy talks alongside a major meeting with ministers from the Quad nations.

Later on Saturday, Rubio and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor will travel to New Delhi to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to a post on X by Ambassador Gor, the upcoming discussions will focus on advancing bilateral cooperation in trade, technology, defense, and the Quad partnership. During his opening leg in Kolkata, the State Department confirmed that Rubio will visit the Mother House—the central headquarters of Saint Teresa's Missionaries of Charity—as well as the Children’s Home in the city.

The high-stakes tour will culminate on May 26 with a Quad meeting presided over by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, alongside Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu. Addressing India's exposure to high energy prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio labeled India a "great partner" and voiced a strong desire to boost American energy exports, noting historic levels of US production. Rubio is the first US secretary of state to set foot in Kolkata since Hillary Clinton's visit in May 2012.