Experts question India’s diplomatic norms over Marco Rubio’s low-key departure
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New Delhi: The total disregard for diplomatic norms by the Indian government and diplomatic corps during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s departure from India has exposed the declining standards of Indian diplomacy.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Marco Rubio was in India for high-level discussions on regional security, strategic cooperation and Indo-Pacific affairs.
A report said no senior state minister or top-level bureaucrat was present to officially see off the visiting US Secretary of State. Only a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a police inspector were reportedly sent to the airport to see him off, which diplomatic experts described as a well-calculated insult to the visiting dignitary.
The report added that the Indian press remained busy asking irrelevant, Pakistan-centric questions and failed to reflect on what the observers termed poor diplomatic conduct that further isolates India internationally.
Experts further noted that a country projecting itself as a “global power” failed to maintain basic diplomatic protocol for one of the world’s top diplomats, reflecting non-professionalism, arrogance, and institutional incompetence within India’s foreign policy machinery.
Diplomatic experts said that India has set an example of unprofessional diplomacy, adding a country claiming to be the “oldest civilization” failed to uphold basic diplomatic etiquette. They maintained that repeated diplomatic controversies from Europe to the US have further damaged the Modi government’s image.
The unusually low-key protocol for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is being linked to growing differences between Washington and New Delhi. Experts said trade disputes, tariff tensions and growing US engagement with Pakistan have created diplomatic unease in India. They added that differences over Iran and Russia have also contributed to quiet tensions in US-India relations.
Diplomatic experts maintained that the cold send-off reflects growing policy confusion, lack of professionalism, and weak foreign policy signaling within Indian diplomacy.
They further said this conduct reflects mistrust and strain in New Delhi-Washington relations and constitutes a breach of diplomatic norms.
The experts added that India’s repeated diplomatic lapses and non-professional conduct are damaging its global image and may further isolate it in future international engagements.
