New Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended Washington’s relationship with Pakistan, saying the country’s geographical importance and nuclear capabilities make continued engagement necessary.
Speaking in an interview with India’s Network18 during his visit to the country, Rubio said managing American foreign policy required maintaining relationships even where disagreements existed.
“It’s a country that we have to have a relationship with. It’s a country that possesses nuclear weapons,” he said, referring to Pakistan.
Rubio compared Washington’s engagement with Islamabad to India’s relationship with Iran, noting that New Delhi also maintained contact and held meetings with the Iranian leadership.
His remarks came as US and Indian officials discussed bilateral trade, defence cooperation and regional security. They addressed the challenge of sustaining relations with Pakistan while pursuing Washington’s partnership with India.
Rubio acknowledged that balancing such relationships was difficult but described it as a necessary part of diplomacy.
He also suggested that access to Pakistan’s leadership could give Washington an opportunity to raise issues concerning India.
“If we have a relationship and we can speak to them, it could perhaps put us in a position to help discourage the kinds of things that India is worried about,” he said.
The secretary of state did not identify specific actions or security concerns in the remarks reproduced in the report.
Explaining his approach, Rubio distinguished his current responsibilities from his former role as a US senator. As secretary of state, he said, he was responsible for managing the country’s foreign relations, including engagement with governments on issues where their positions differed.
His comments presented continued communication with Islamabad as a practical foreign policy requirement, while seeking to reassure an Indian audience about the purpose of those ties.
