Jaishankar, Rubio to hold talks on Oct 20: MEA

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks on October 20 to discuss ways to enhance the bilateral partnership during his visit to India, the MEA said on Friday.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during his bi-weekly media briefing, was asked if Jaishankar will be meeting Rubio during his planned trip to Mumbai.

“On October 19-20, 2026, the external affairs minister will host in Mumbai the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for an official visit. On October 20, the external affairs minister will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attend the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Independence of the United States as a Guest of Honour,” he said.

The meeting between External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Secretary of State Rubio will allow both sides to discuss ways to bolster the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, Jaiswal said.

During an interactive session at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum here on Thursday, US envoy Sergio Gor said that Rubio will meet Indian government officials in Mumbai and “we expect that minister Dr S Jaishankar will be there”.

The US secretary of state will travel to India next week to further strengthen energy cooperation, the Department of State said on Tuesday. Rubio will first visit Samarkand in Uzbekistan and then travel to Mumbai and Jamnagar in India from October 17-22, it had said.