Speaking at the ‘Freedom 250 Reception’ in Mumbai, Rubio expressed joy over his second trip to India within four months. He said, “It is a great honour to be back here today. At the press conference today, somebody asked a question, why are you back in India after just four months? And I said, well, number one, it happens to be the most populous nation on Earth. It happens to be the oldest democracy on Earth. It happens to be such a strong geopolitical partner.”
Highlighting that he believes the relationship between India and US will define the 21st century, he said, “If you think about the story and the history of the 21st century, it’s being written in this region. And it’s being written right now. One day someone will write a book about the history of the 21st century. And there will be a chapter in there about other regions in the world. But the 21st century will be defined for better and for worse by what happens in this region. We know that.”
Rubio backed his opinion citing the growing alignment on core issues between the two large countries. According to Rubio, the alignment between India and the United States is of prime importance given their size and global influence.
Speaking about geopolitics, Rubio cited the need to have a “free and open” Indo-Pacific where no nation can claim dominance or ownership on international shipping as among the core issues of alignment.
“And in particular for the United States and India, a free and secure Indo-Pacific. On that, one in which no nation can claim dominance or ownership of international shipping lanes. On that issue, we are 100% and perfectly aligned,” said Rubio.
He further went on to acknowledge the disagreements, stating that they are inevitable and what matter is understanding the core reasons.