Jaipur: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits historic Amer Fort
Jaipur, May 25
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Jaipur on Monday afternoon and visited the historic Amer Fort with his wife Jeanette Rubio and US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, shortly after visiting the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra earlier today.
Rubio, along with his wife and accompanied by the American delegation, are in the pink city.
Earlier on Monday, Rubio visited the Taj Mahal along with his wife, Jeanette Rubio and hailed the monument as one of the treasures of the world.
They spent around one and a half hours at the Taj Mahal and wrote in the visitors' book, "Thank you for allowing us to visit one of the true treasures of the World."
Sharing snippets from their visit to the grand mausoleum, US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor called it a breathtaking symbol of India's extraordinary heritage and craftsmanship.
Last year, US Vice President JD Vance visited the monument along with his wife, Usha Vance and their children Vivek, Mirabel and Ewan.
The Taj Mahal has also been visited by several other global leaders in the past, including former US President Donald Trump, who toured the monument during his first term as President, along with First Lady Melania Trump.
During his visit, Trump described the monument as a symbol of India's cultural richness, saying, "Taj Mahal inspires awe, a timeless testament to the rich and diverse beauty of Indian culture! Thank you, India."
Rubio's visit to Jaipur is part of his four-day trip to India, during which he is scheduled to participate in the Quad Summit on Tuesday.
He began his visit to India from the Missionaries of Charity at Kolkata, followed by meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then later holding delegation-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Rubio also held discussions with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
In a major diplomatic deployment matching this regional focus, India is gearing up to host the foreign ministers of the Quad nations in the national capital to deliberate on the evolving security matrix of the Indo-Pacific and the escalating friction points across West Asia. The high-level congregation of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue--bringing together India, the United States, Australia, and Japan--is locked in for May 26 under the chairmanship of External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Nice photo op but what about the locals whose livelihoods are disrupted every time a VIP comes? 😕 Also, hope they discuss real issues like trade tariffs and climate change, not just security pacts.
Incredible that Marco Rubio visited Missionaries of Charity first—shows respect for Mother Teresa's legacy! But I wish Indian media focused more on substantive diplomatic outcomes rather than just tourist snapshots.
Jaipur local here! Saw the security preparations near Amer—it's quite an operation. Rubio sahab seems genuinely interested in our culture. Let's hope the Quad meeting brings some real action on food security and tech collaboration, not just military stuff.
While it's nice to showcase our heritage, I can't help but notice the irony—admiring Mughal architecture while ignoring how many historical sites in India are poorly maintained. Also, Taj Mahal entry fee for Indians is ₹50 but for foreigners it's ₹1100. Ek taraf tourism promotion, doosri taraf discrimination! 😤
Love that he visited Kolkata first—Missionaries of Charity truly represents India's soul of service. And Amer Fort is magical! But I wish there was more coverage of actual diplomatic discussions and less of "look who visited our monuments." 🤷
S We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.