MEA confirms Jaishankar-Rubio talks amid Congress criticism (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday confirmed that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20. Jaishankar will also host UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Mumbai on October 19 and 20.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced the engagements while responding to a question from news agency ANI about Jaishankar’s planned meetings in Mumbai next week. The clarification came amid a political row over the timing and public announcement of the meeting with Rubio.
“So on October 19 and 20, the external affairs minister will host in Mumbai the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for an official visit, on 20th October, external affairs minister will hold talks with the US secretary of state Marco Rubio and attend the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America as the guest of honor,” Jaiswal said.
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Jaiswal also said hosting foreign dignitaries outside New Delhi was an established practice, citing several previous engagements held in different Indian cities.
“This has been the practice for the last decade or so that we have hosted foreign secretaries outside Delhi. The Prime Minister hosted the Prime Minister of Spain in Baroda. He hosted chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister of Mauritius was hosted by him in Varanasi, and then the external affairs minister hosted the foreign ministers Meeting in Goa. He hosted the foreign minister of Botswana in Kevadia in Gujarat, and the external affairs minister also hosted the Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar,” Jaiswal said.
The MEA’s clarification followed a post by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rubio’s upcoming Mumbai visit and alleged that officials in the ministry were unclear about the developments.
“Mr Rubio has summoned his employee to Mumbai. Modi ji, your officials in the external affairs ministry are confused about what's going on. You might want to explain. Unless, of course, you want me to,” Rahul posted on X on Friday.
His remarks came a day after the Congress criticised the government over the proposed meeting. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor had said American officials expected Jaishankar to meet Rubio in Mumbai, prompting the opposition party to question why the Indian government had not announced the engagement publicly.
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Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the ambassador’s statement “extraordinary” and questioned why details of the planned meeting were being shared by a US official rather than the Indian foreign ministry.
“Why is the MEA silent on the external affairs minister's tryst with Mr Rubio in Mumbai?” Ramesh asked, adding that India was learning about the developments from the US ambassador.
The US State Department announced on Tuesday that Rubio would visit India from October 17 to 22 to strengthen energy cooperation. His itinerary includes Mumbai and Jamnagar, following a visit to Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
