Rubio Plans India Visit for Energy and Trade Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Uzbekistan and India from October 17 to 22, with meetings in Samarkand, Mumbai and Jamnagar focused in part on energy cooperation and commercial ties, the State Department said. The trip has been announced but has not yet taken place. Rubio will first attend the C5+1 Ministerial in Samarkand and hold bilateral meetings with senior officials from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. The State Department said a U.S. commercial delegation of more than 200 business leaders is expected to accompany him on the Central Asia portion of the trip. In India, Rubio is due to meet senior government officials to discuss the U.S.-India strategic partnership, regional and global issues, and prospects for expanded energy cooperation. He is also expected to meet business leaders to promote commercial investment and economic cooperation, according to the department. Jamnagar is home to Reliance Industries’ refinery, described in the reports as the world’s largest single-site facility, with capacity to process 1.4 million barrels of crude oil a day.