New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to hold first bilateral talk with S Jaishankar
New Delhi/IBNS: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be the first foreign minister to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a bilateral discussion.
The meeting comes amid India's aim to strengthen its ties with the U.S. following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.
On his first day in office, Trump signed a series of executive orders that are expected to reshape the international order, sending messages to capitals across the world.
Rubio will be meeting Jaishakar in the State Department soon after he meets with foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia under the QUAD format in the same venue.
In a validation for India on the global stage, S Jaishankar was given a front-row seat at the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump in Washington on Monday.
Jaishankar, who represented India at the ceremony, shared a number of snapshots from the event which was attended by top world leaders.
The top Indian minister said in an X post, "A great honour to represent India at the inauguration ceremony of @POTUS President Donald J Trump and @VP Vice President JD Vance in Washington DC today."
A great honour to represent India at the inauguration ceremony of @POTUS President Donald J Trump and @VP Vice President JD Vance in Washington DC today.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 20, 2025
🇮🇳 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/tbmAUbvd1r
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had a bonhomie with Trump during the latter's maiden term, congratulated the Republican leader upon taking oath as the 47th US president.
Modi posted on X, "Congratulations my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a successful term ahead!"
Congratulations my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 20, 2025
Taking oath as the 47th President of the United States, Trump on Monday said the "golden age" of America has begun and the country will be "greater than ever before."
"The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer during every single day of the Trump administration," Trump said amid massive applause and standing ovations.
In what might impact even India, Trump in his inaugural address pledged tariffs of 10 percent on global imports.
Though he didn't mention India whom he had once called the "king of tariffs", Trump announced a tariff of 60 percent on Chinese goods and 25 percent import surcharge on Canadian and Mexican goods.
Earlier, the Republican leader had slammed several countries including India for imposing high tariffs on US goods.