'US excited to build even stronger ties': Sergio Gor ahead of Marco Rubio's India visit this month

As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to visit New Delhi, US Ambassador Sergio Gor on Wednesday said Washington deeply values its partnership with India and was excited to build even stronger ties. 

Gor also announced that Indian companies were planning to invest more than $20.5 billion in the United States across sectors, including technology, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

"Under President Trump’s leadership, investment is flowing back into the United States at record levels! Indian companies plan to invest over $20.5 billion in various sectors, including tech, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals," Gor said in a post on X.

He added that 12 Indian companies had announced $1.1 billion in investments on the same day. "This includes the 12 Indian companies that announced $1.1 billion in investments just today! These partnerships are creating REAL American jobs and building STRONGER supply chains."

Gor said the investments reflected growing economic ties between the two countries. "Proof that when the world's largest democracies do business together, everyone wins."

The remarks come ahead of a planned visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to New Delhi this month.

In a separate post, Gor said: "Looking forward to welcoming my good friend Secretary Rubio to India! The United States deeply values our growing partnership with India, and we are excited to build even stronger ties that will benefit both our nations and the world. See you soon, Mr. Secretary!"

Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Tuesday said India and the US were "very, very close" to signing the trade deal and need to get over "that last hurdle". 

"We are very aware of India's importance on the world stage. I think it is very important to get a final resolution of that trade deal. We have been talking for months that we are very close, and I think we are very close. But we have to get over that last hurdle," Landau told reporters on the sidelines of the SelectUSA Investment Summit at National Harbour in Maryland. 

"I don't have any huge inside information to provide on when that is coming, but I can just reiterate that I believe that we are very, very close," said Landau, who recently visited India. "It's important that we reach some closure on that and we finally sign it and move on with the many other issues on our agenda," he said. 

"There's no question that India is one of the great powers of the world. India now has the greatest population in the world. And, India has incredible potential, economic potential, but, frankly, for many decades, it was not fully realised because of the economic models that India chose to pursue. 

"But India is now poised to have massive economic development and to lift many hundreds of millions of people out of poverty," Landau said. 

India and the US announced the framework of the bilateral trade agreement on February 2 and released the text of the deal on February 7.