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US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that United States’ relationships with Pakistan or any other country “will never come at the expense” of its ties with India – a response he gave to a question related to concerns being reportedly raised about Washington’s ties with Islamabad.
Rubio had earlier said that US and India were “very close” to finalising a trade deal, with only a few items left.
Rubio was asked whether a situation like the 1970s, when then-US President Richard Nixon and his national security advisor Henry Kissinger displayed a slant towards Pakistan, was returning.
“…What everyone should be assured of in India is that our relationship, not just with Pakistan but with any country in the world, will never come at the expense of our relationship. We don’t view it that way in our relationship with India,” Rubio said in an interview with The Indian Express published Wednesday.
He further said his visits to India, America’s “commitment” to the trade deal with New Delhi and their “engagements” serve as evidence of the countries’ relations.
The US secretary of state is in India for a three-day official visit. After landing in Mumbai on Tuesday, he held a meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar. After the meeting, Rubio said both countries were “very close” to finalising a trade deal, with only a few items left.
