‘Not At India’s Expense’: Marco Rubio Clarifies US Stance On Strengthening Ties With Pakistan

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday (25 October) that Washington’s efforts to strengthen its ties with Pakistan would “not come at the expense” of its strong partnership with India.

He highlighted that the US has maintained a long record of counterterrorism cooperation with Islamabad and expressed interest in broadening that partnership, reported The Times Of India.

During a press briefing on the recent shift in US-Pakistan relations, he was asked whether the better ties were linked to Pakistan’s acknowledgment of America’s role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Rubio replied, “No, I think they appreciated—anytime you work with someone, you get to know them and you interact with them... We are interested in rebuilding an alliance, a strategic partnership with you. We think there are things we can work together with them on.”

He further stated, “We’d like to expand it beyond that, if possible, and understanding that there’ll be some difficulties and some challenges. But I think it’s a very encouraging thing that that relationship has strengthened the way that it has, and I don’t think it comes at the expense or instead of a good relationship with India.”

When asked if India had any concerns, Rubio described the Indians as "mature" in their diplomatic approach. “They really haven’t… we know they’re concerned for obvious reasons... But I think they have to understand we have to have relations with a lot of different countries,”  he remarked.

Rubio’s comments come as the US Strategic Metals (USSM) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) in Pakistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a critical minerals collaboration, which includes a $500 million investment agreement.

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