USSecretary of StateMarco Rubiowill be in India from May 23-26, to discuss energy security, trade, and defense cooperation. This will be Rubio’s first visit to the country since assuming office in the second term of Donald Trump as US President. However, breaking the usual pattern, Rubio’s visit will begin in Kolkata instead of New Delhi.
Kolkata holds a special place for Americans as it is the first Indian city which houses the first and second oldest American consulates in the world. US President George Washington had appointed Benjamin Joy of Newburyport as the first US counsel to Kolkata on November 19, 1792.
According to the US Embassy and Consulate in India, Benjamin Joy had arrived in India in 1794 but was never recognized by the British East India Company.
But Joy’s appointment as the first counsel to Kolkata (then Calcutta), officially marked the beginning of the US engagement with India.
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The consulate was located in Kolkata’s Ho Chi Minh Sarani Street and focussed on American interests in several Indian states — including West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
Ahead of Rubio’s visit, the US Consulate General in Kolkata reposted a post from Ambassador Sergio Gor, that reads, "The US Consulate General Kolkata, America's second oldest diplomatic post in the world, plays a vital role in strengthening ties across India, including the growing east and northeast. Glad to engage with our Consulate community in Kolkata and get to know the City of Joy."
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in India has already put out a post, welcoming Rubio ahead of his visit, saying, "The US Embassy in India looks forward to welcoming Secretary Rubio for his first visit to India, ministerial Quad meetings, high-level engagements, and celebrating 250 years of America."
Rubio’s visit to Kolkata will be the first by a US Secretary of State in almost fourteen years. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Kolkata in 2012. Later in 2016, the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon Jr. had visited Kolkata.
Apart from Kolkata, Rubio will travel to Agra, Jaipur, and then New Delhi.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
