US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and external affairs minister S Jaishankar addressed a joint press conference in New Delhi on Sunday, outlining the growing strategic partnership between India and the United States while also responding to questions on immigration reforms and visa concerns.Speaking at Hyderabad House after delegation-level talks, Rubio said the relationship between the world’s two largest democracies had evolved beyond traditional diplomacy. “A strategic partnership is something very different,” he said. “A strategic partnership is when your interests as two nations are aligned, and you work together strategically to solve those problems.”He added, “The list of issues that we work together with India on, the breadth of scope of them, is what highlights the fact that India is an important strategic partner in the United States, one of our most important strategic partners in the world.”The press conference came a day after Rubio called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ongoing four-day visit to India. Rubio described his first day in the country as “fantastic” and repeatedly stressed that India and the United States were not merely allies, but “strategic allies” with shared interests across defence, trade, energy, technology and counterterrorism.The talks were attended by senior officials from both countries, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.
Rubio on visa changes and immigration reforms
Responding to concerns over recent changes to J1, F1 and H-1B visa policies, Rubio said the reforms were part of a broader overhaul of the US immigration system and were “not India-specific”.“First of all, I accept the contribution that Indians have made to the U.S. economy. Over $20 billion has been invested in the U.S economy by Indian companies. We want that number to continue to increase… The changes that are happening now, or the modernisation of our migration system into the United States, are not India-specific; it is global, it’s being applied across the world. We are in a period of modernisation. We’ve had a migratory crisis in the United States. This is not because of India, but broadly, we have had over 20 million people illegally enter the United States over the last few years, and we’ve had to address that challenge… Everything that you do as a country needs to be in your national interest, and that includes your immigration policy.”Rubio further said the US remained “the most welcoming country in the world on immigration” but admitted that ongoing reforms would create “friction points” during the transition period.
Rubio on anti-India hate and racist remarks
Asked about racist comments directed at Indian Americans online and elsewhere in the United States, Rubio said such remarks would be taken seriously while insisting that the US remained an inclusive country.“I’ll take that very seriously about the comments. I’m sure that there are people who have made comments online and in other places because every country in the world has stupid people. I’m sure there are stupid people here; there are stupid people in the United States who make dumb comments all the time. The United States is a very welcoming country. Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country from all over the world...”Rubio also pointed to the contribution of immigrants to American society and noted that his own parents had migrated to the United States from Cuba in 1956.
Jaishankar on defence, trade and energy cooperation
During the press conference, Jaishankar focused heavily on expanding defence and economic ties between the two countries. He said India and the US had recently renewed their 10-year major defence partnership framework agreement and signed a comprehensive underwater domain awareness roadmap.“Where defence and security cooperation is concerned, you’re all aware that the 10-year major defence partnership framework agreement was recently renewed. A comprehensive underwater domain awareness roadmap was also signed. We discussed the importance of taking into account the Make in India approach and lessons drawn from recent conflicts while going forward in the defence domain.”On trade negotiations, Jaishankar said both sides were pushing for an early conclusion of an interim trade agreement that could eventually pave the way for a wider bilateral deal first envisaged during PM Modi’s US visit in February 2025.
