Marco Rubio Declares: 'This Relationship Between India-U.S Is At The Cornerstone' | India-U.S | N18G

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Marco Rubio.

[00:00:06]>> Thank you.

[00:00:09]>> I've only been on the job for a year and a half, Sergio. So, I still have plenty of time to mess it up. So, let's not do those proclaimments here, but that's a very, very nice introduction and I want to thank all of you for being here today. What all of you do. First, I do want to recognize the work that Ambassador Gore is doing, who's a friend of mine before he came here and we knew when he would come here, he would be a dynamo and he would have energy to the mission. And I hope you've perceived that his excitement uh for for the job is is palpable and and and you see it in the results. Second, I want to thank all of you to help us here in this mission.

[00:00:39]And let me begin and I don't think our folks will be offended if I do this. I always begin by recognizing and thanking our locally employed staff. Uh if you're here, I just want you to know you are an important part of our family. We could not do our job without you.

[00:00:56]They really are. I mean they are the institutional memory. You know our folks as you know rotate every two or three years. We come and go. We go back. We go back to DC. They go to other places.

[00:01:04]They move on to other assignments. But every time a new officer comes in, every time someone new comes in, it is that institutional memory of the locally employed staff that allows us to aver avoid the early pitfalls, learn from the past, and hit the ground running. And so we're grateful to all of you for what you do. I I want to comment about two things. First about this building. I'm glad to be here. I believe in my And not not do I believe. I know that in my year and a half as Secretary of State, it's the first new building that I get a chance to cut the ribbon on or inaugurate. So, and obviously this facility because of all the upgrades it provides us, it makes it easier for do for you to do the job. But I I think as Ambassador Gore outlined a moment ago, the building stands as more than just brick and mortar. It's more than just the structure. It is, I hope, a sign of our commitment to this important relationship between the United States and India. It is this relationship between our two countries is at the cornerstone of our approach to the endoacific. I a lot of people aren't aware of this or you know but I was sworn in as secretary of state on Tuesday or Wednesday. It was a Tuesday after the inauguration. Within the hour, I was at the State Department, spoke briefly, as is tradition in the lobby of that building to our staff and then went immediately upstairs to the eighth floor. And my first meeting, my very first meeting officially as Secretary of State was a meeting of the quad and we were going to renew that. We did it again last year in a second in a different setting and we're and we chose to do it here. We wanted to do it here not just because of our commitment to that structure of work but also as a tangible sign of what an important role India plays in the United States and in our posture and in our approach to the Indoacific.

[00:02:50]Anchoring that is the relationship between the president and the prime minister. It's a personal relationship that dates back to the first administration when the president had a chance to visit here and it has carried over into this second administration. Um and and you can just see the connection between them and I think that's incredibly important. It is the connection between leaders is incredibly important. These are two very serious leaders that are focused not just on the short term but on the long term. And um and so I I think that uh that that is important to note because it's at the it's a key part of the foundation of the relationship between our countries. And just in the past year, we've seen this partnership deepen in ways that don't often make headlines or aren't splashy, but are important and real and tangible and enduring. We've expanded commercial ties now with more than 20 billion in investments. 20 billion in investments from Indian companies in the United States. We've deepened security partnership through military exercises in the Indoacific.

[00:03:46]uh and and of course as part of that we we recognize that an orderly and a secure consular system is vital to solidifying this important relationship.

[00:03:55]That's why we're introducing a new America first vis visa scheduling tool that prioritizes business professionals that strengthen these ties and uh but but it the facility as I said is not just for those that are applying for visas is also for you the Americans who work here uh the men and women of this mission who are at the front lines every single day of advancing America's national interest and and and in that America's national security. So uh it's an honor really to be here today. I wanted to keep this brief because it's hot.

[00:04:28]It's hot. It's although it's not hum like I'm from Miami. There's a humid hot and then there's this hot. But it's like what time is it? It should be getting cooling off by now. And uh so I don't want to keep you here much longer than you need to be. But I I just I want to say one thing. This facility saved Americans money uh because it's going to make us more efficient. It's going to allow us to do the work we have to do anyways, but allow us to do it more accurately, faster, and in a more efficient way. And so, this is very important. And um and again, I want them to close by thanking the team here at the US embassy for your hard work, for your professionalism, for your patriotism. The work you do benefits your country and benefits Americans that are here and ultimately Americans back home and across the globe. And it is at the cornerstone of this important partnership between us and India which as I said is an incredibly important one and it's the reason why I'm here in this visit to reaffirm those ties to build upon them and we think in the months ahead we're going to have even more exciting and new announcements to make about the development and the strengthening of the relationship between the two countries and all of you will be at the forefront of that. So thank you very much. Thank you.

[00:06:05]That's my first plaque.

[00:06:08]So like a hundred years from now when my great grandkids come visit India, they're going to see that plaque. It's going to be great. I love it. Thank you.

[00:06:30]PERFECT.

[00:06:57]HEAVY. GO.

[00:07:12]They've been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the they're doing.

[00:07:35]carrying India's prestigious Heat.

[00:08:04]Heat.