New York [US], September 23 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where both leaders discussed strengthening strategic cooperation between India and the United States across key sectors, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals.

In a post on social media platform X, Secretary Rubio stated that the meeting focused on various aspects of the bilateral partnership aimed at 'enhancing prosperity for both nations.'

'Met with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at UNGA. We discussed key areas of our bilateral relationship, including trade, energy, pharmaceuticals, and critical minerals and more to generate prosperity for India and the United States,' Rubio posted on X.

https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1970213328740930035

The US Department of State, in an official release, reaffirmed India's 'critical importance' to Washington and welcomed India's continued engagement on core sectors of mutual interest.

'Secretary Rubio, reiterating that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, expressed his appreciation for the Indian government's continued engagement on a number of issues, including trade, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship,' the US Department of State said in a statement.

The statement added, 'Secretary Rubio and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar agreed that the United States and India will continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad.'

On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He described the meeting as constructive and underlined the importance of sustained engagement.

In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, 'Good to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio this morning in New York. Our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern. Agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas. We will remain in touch.'

The meeting marked their first direct interaction since trade tensions escalated following steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Indian goods over India's purchase of Russian oil.

Despite recent challenges, the meeting is seen as part of a broader effort to reinforce India-US ties, which had shown signs of strain but are now moving towards recovery.

The two leaders had last met in Washington during the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in July and had also interacted earlier in January this year. However, the upcoming bilateral meeting will be their first face-to-face interaction since trade frictions flared up after President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods over the purchase of Russian oil.

The 80th session of the UNGA formally opened on September 9, 2025, with the High-Level General Debate commencing on September 23.(ANI)