US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India next week. Meanwhile, there will be discussions on strengthening energy cooperation and advancing strategic partnership between the two countries. The US State Department has given this information. Rubio will first visit Samarkand, Uzbekistan, followed by Mumbai and Jamnagar in India between October 17 and 22. where meetings will be held with senior Indian officials to strengthen bilateral strategic partnership and enhance energy cooperation.

This will be US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s second visit to India after May. Before this, he was in New Delhi as External Affairs Minister S. Attended the meeting of Quad Foreign Ministers organized by Jaishankar.

Emphasis on enhancing energy cooperation

The US State Department said Marco Rubio will meet senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, exchange views on regional and global situations and discuss possibilities for increasing energy cooperation. Rubio will also meet with business leaders to promote opportunities for commercial investment and economic cooperation, the department said.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio will embark on a multi-national diplomatic tour of Uzbekistan and India from October 17 to 22.

During the first leg of his trip, Secretary Rubio will travel to Samarkand, Uzbekistan to participate in the C5+1 Ministerial Meeting and also engage bilaterally with senior officials from all C5 countries Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Later, Secretary Rubio will travel to India, where he will meet with senior government officials and business leaders.

— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2026

A visit to Jamnagar is important

Marco Rubio’s visit to Jamnagar assumes significance as it houses Reliance’s refinery, the world’s largest single-site facility with a capacity to process 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day.

In March, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would build its first refinery in 50 years with investment from Reliance Industries. According to Trump, the refinery will be built in Brownsville, Texas at a cost of US$300 billion.

Rubio will travel to Samarkand, Uzbekistan

In the first leg of his visit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Samarkand, Uzbekistan to attend the C5+1 ministerial-level meeting. He will also hold bilateral talks with senior officials from all C5 countries Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. After this, Secretary of State Rubio will travel to India, where he will meet with senior government officials and business leaders.

A US business delegation of more than 200 business leaders will accompany Rubio, ushering in a new era of stronger business cooperation between the US and Central Asia.