Agra, May 25: United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Taj Mahal in Agra along with his wife Jeanette Rubio on Monday during his ongoing four day visit to India.
Rubio described the iconic monument as “one of the love treasures of the world” after touring the 17th century Mughal era structure.
The senior US diplomat arrived at Agra’s Kheria airport in a special aircraft around 10 am before heading to a hotel near the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal.
Rubio Spends An Hour At Taj Mahal
Marco Rubio and his wife later travelled to the monument in a golf cart amid tight security arrangements.
The US Secretary of State spent nearly an hour at the UNESCO World Heritage site and also posed for photographs along with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.
In the visitors’ book, Rubio wrote, “Thank You For Allowing Us To Visit One Of The Love Treasures Of The World.”
Officials said security was significantly tightened around the Taj Mahal during the high profile visit.
Tourists already present inside the monument complex were temporarily moved out as part of the security protocol.
Rubio To Attend Quad Meeting
Rubio is currently on a four day diplomatic visit to India aimed at strengthening bilateral and strategic ties.
After visiting Agra, he is scheduled to travel to Jaipur before returning to New Delhi on Tuesday.
He will attend the meeting of Quad foreign ministers along with representatives from India, Australia and Japan.
Agra Witnesses Extreme Heat
The visit took place amid severe heatwave conditions in Agra and several parts of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Agra recorded a maximum temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, making it one of the hottest cities in the state.
Officials said the temperature remained extremely high even during Rubio’s visit to the Taj Mahal on Monday morning.
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