External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be travelling to Mumbai where he will host UAE’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on October 19-20 and Rubio on October 20. (File photo)Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the government over US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s proposed meeting with Indian officials in Mumbai next week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be travelling to Mumbai where he will host UAE’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on October 19-20 and Rubio on October 20.The discussions with Rubio are expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation, including “energy, trade and investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies”, said MEA’s official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.Responding to questions at the weekly briefing, he said, “On 19-20 October, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host in Mumbai the Deputy PM and FM of UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for an official visit. On 20 October, the External Affairs Minister will hold talks with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attend the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Independence of the USA as the guest of honour.”Defending the decision to host the US Secretary of State in Mumbai, he said, “It is the practice over the last decade to host foreign dignitaries from time to time in various cities of India.”He gave examples of PM Narendra Modi and Jaishankar hosting foreign leaders in different cities. “The PM hosted PM of Spain in Baroda; Chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad; PM of Mauritius in Varanasi”, he said, adding that the External Affairs Minister hosted SCO FMs meeting in Goa; Foreign Minister of Botswana in Kevadia; Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar.Talking about the UAE Foreign Minister’s visit, the MEA spokesperson said that it “will be an opportunity to review all facets of bilateral cooperation under the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.“The two delegations will assess and take forward initiatives in the areas of energy, trade and investments, fintech, defence and connectivity. They will naturally be a detailed exchange of views on the situation in West Asia as also on global and multilateral issues,” he said.Story continues below this adAbout Rubio’s visit, Jaiswal said, “US Secretary of State’s forthcoming visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review India-US relations and discuss ways to further strengthen our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Discussions are expected to cover key areas of bilateral cooperation, including energy, trade and investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies, and other areas of mutual interest. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments.”“The visit will provide an opportunity to sustain the high-level engagement between the two countries and advance our shared priorities,” he said.Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that officials of the External Affairs Ministry were “confused” over it. He had also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi may want to explain the matter. The Congress leader’s remarks came a day after US envoy Sergio Gor said Rubio will meet Indian government officials in Mumbai and “we expect that minister Dr S Jaishankar will be there”.In a post on X, Gandhi said, “Mr Rubio has summoned his employee to Mumbai. Modi ji, your officials in the External Affairs Ministry are confused about what’s going on. You might want to explain. Unless, of course, you want me to.”Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting and writing explainers and analysis on foreign affairs for about 19 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He won the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award, 2023, for the second time for his reporting of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More Tags:Ministry of External AffairsS. Jaishankar