Kolkata, May 23 (IANS) US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Saturday visited Mother House, the headquarters of Saint Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.

Rubio arrived in Kolkata on Saturday morning, as part of his four-day visit to India, and was welcomed by US Ambassador Sergio Gor at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

Marco Rubio was accompanied by his wife Jeanette D. Rubio. They left from The Mother Teresa House of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata after spending some time there. He visited the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity and spoke with its officials. US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor was also present during the visit.

The Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa in Kolkata, is a Catholic congregation dedicated to serving the poor, sick and destitutes across the world.

In a post on X, Gor, the US Ambassador to India, said, “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, Defence, QUAD, and many other items to discuss and advance over the next few days!”

Rubio became the first US secretary of state to visit Kolkata since Hillary Clinton travelled to the city in May 2012. The visit came only weeks after West Bengal witnessed a major political change with a BJP-led government assuming power in the state

The US Department of State said Rubio would also visit the Children’s Home in the city during his Kolkata stopover.

Rubio’s India itinerary, scheduled from May 23 to 26 and also covering Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi, is being viewed as diplomatically significant because of planned energy discussions with India and meetings involving ministers from the Quad nations.

India is set to host the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on May 26. At the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Marco Rubio, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit India to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Ahead of his visit to India, Rubio said that Washington wants to expand energy ties with New Delhi and deepen coordination through the Quad, while describing India as a “great ally” and “great partner” amid global supply disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz.

–IANS

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