US secretary of state meets with India's external affairs minister ahead of critical minerals summit

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Tuesday with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining and processing, the State Department said.

The meeting came ahead of the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, which Rubio will host at the State Department on Wednesday, where delegations from more than 50 countries are expected to advance efforts to strengthen and diversify critical minerals supply chains.

During the meeting, Rubio and Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal reached between US President Doland Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasizing the importance of "working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals," said the State Department.

The two officials also expressed their commitment to expanding both bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad grouping of countries comprising the US, Japan, Australia and India and "acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests," it added.