Why Marco Rubio’s Visit To Kolkata American Consulate, One Of The Oldest US Missions In World, Will Be Special
Why Marco Rubio’s Visit To Kolkata American Consulate, One Of The Oldest US Missions In World, Will Be Special Published By, Last Updated: May 20
Why Marco Rubio’s Visit To Kolkata American Consulate, One Of The Oldest US Missions In World, Will Be Special Published By, Last Updated: May 20, 2026, 15:31 IST The visit is significant because the US Consulate General in Kolkata is the oldest American diplomatic mission in India and one of the oldest operating US consulates in the world Rapid Read US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Image: Reuters/File) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is officially visiting Kolkata as part of his inaugural four-day tour of India from May 23 to 26. The US Department of State confirmed that Rubio’s itinerary will take him to Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi. The visit carries immense historical significance because the US Consulate in Kolkata is the oldest American diplomatic mission in India and one of the oldest operating U.S. consulates in the world.
Rubio’s India Tour Rubio will meet senior Indian officials to deliberate on crucial matters regarding energy security, regional trade, tariffs, and defense cooperation. On May 26, Rubio will join Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in New Delhi for the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting. The stop in Kolkata underscores the growing geopolitical importance of eastern and northeastern India in global trade and the broader Indo-Pacific strategy. The trip also marks the beginning of joint celebrations with the U.S. Embassy in India commemorating 250 years of America. The Kolkata Consulate Kolkata has a preeminent place in the history of American diplomacy as one of the oldest American Consulates anywhere in the world, and the oldest in India.
President George Washington, on November 19, 1792, nominated Benjamin Joy of Newbury Port as the first American Consul to Kolkata. With advice from Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, later the third U.S. President, and Senate approval, President Washington appointed Joy to the office on November 21, 1792. Joy, however, reached Kolkata only in April 1794. He was never recognized as Consul by the British East India Company but was permitted to “reside here as a Commercial Agent subject to the Civil and Criminal Jurisdiction of this Country…". Despite this rather inauspicious beginning, Benjamin Joy’s arrival was the beginning of a long official American relationship with Kolkata – and, indeed, with all of India. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 20, 2026, 15:19 IST News india Why Marco Rubio’s Visit To Kolkata American Consulate, One Of The Oldest US Missions In World, Will Be Special Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.
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