Eric Martin

State Department reporter for @business. Foreign policy, trade. @SAISHopkins @NorthwesternU. In a JV w/ @roslmartin. Opinions my own.

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

NEW: Marco Rubio has remade himself as Donald Trump’s global emissary. His transformation raises a question: What’s his long game?

That's our Bloomberg Businessweek cover story.

It includes my interview with Rubio, and thoughts from John Kerry, Steve Bannon, Rubio's former Senate colleague James Risch, and many more

@nancook @business @BW

https://t.co/0G5lsM79vb

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

TIL: The historic name "Bombay" for India's financial capital comes from the moniker that 16th century Portuguese explorers gave this trading outpost when they saw the "Bom Bahia," or "Good Bay..."

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

Sunrise #Mumbai

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

@roslmartin ¡Que bonitas fotos mi amor!

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

Waking up in Mumbai to some awesome! highlights from the Washington Wizards season opener.

Jai ho!

[District of Buckets @BucketsDistrict]

The most energy the District has seen for Wizards basketball in years.

Chocolate City is READY.

[District of Buckets @BucketsDistrict]

The most energy the District has seen for Wizards basketball in years.

Chocolate City is READY.

[Bobby Blanco @Bobby_Blanco]

Literal “Let’s go Wizards” chants outside of Cap One.

It’s one game. This city loves basketball. #ForTheDistrict

[David Aldridge @davidaldridgedc]

What competing again can do to a fan base:

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

Rory Kinnear's prime minister in Netflix's The Diplomat has resigned midway through the fourth series because Britain having the same leader for four years was deemed too unrealistic.

🔗: https://t.co/OyUDpMicsX

[Greg Finberg @GregFinberg]

The Washington Wizards are above .500 for the first time since November 28, 2022.

[Tommy Pigott @statedeptspox]

This is inaccurate. The U.S. Department of State issued an ordered departure for non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only.

Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.

The safety and security of Department personnel and their families remain our highest priority, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support them.

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told me in Mumbai this morning that he expected to discuss with India's Reliance Industries Ltd. the possibility of refining more crude oil from the Western Hemisphere, including #Venezuela.

Rubio met with Reliance, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and toured its refinery -- the world's largest -- in the Indian oil capital of Jamnagar this afternoon.

https://t.co/ZHRxpzcLBP

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor posts the first photos that we've seen today from Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Reliance refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat state -- the world's LARGEST oil processing site

@SergioGor @SecRubio

[Ambassador Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia]

Honored to join @SecRubio at @RIL_Updates Jamnagar facilities. Over the past year, India’s imports of U.S. LPG have surged from under 10% to 67%, making the United States India’s largest LPG supplier. Reliance’s planned investment in the first new U.S. oil refinery in 50 years is another major opportunity to expand American energy production and create jobs.

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

In Mumbai on Wednesday, I asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio about his all-staff message last week reminding State Department employees to act in accordance with ethics rules.

I asked him whether he’s concerned that there are other examples in embassies around the world of the kind of ethical violations alleged against US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle (which she denied) -- who Trump ousted a day before Rubio's message.

Rubio told me “no” – that he had ordered the message to be sent WEEKS in advance, and that a delay in sending it caused it to finally be sent the day after Guilfoyle's exit was announced.

"This is a message we’ve sent out multiple times. It’s just a constant reminder of people, of who they work for. They work for the Government of the United States, they work for the people of the United States, and we expect everyone in our department to do so not just in accordance with the law, but with the higher standards possible. Our ability to diplomatically represent this country is undermined and is sabotaged if there’s any implications that what you are doing – and I’m not talking about Kimberly in specific; anybody – you are undermined when – anytime there’s the notion that somehow what you are doing is somehow in YOUR interest, but not in the interest of the country.

So we – it’s not the first time we’ve sent that message. That is something we repeatedly do because to me it’s a very important principle of how we do our work. It just happened to go out the day after, but that is something that, frankly, had been drafted and that I had ordered sent weeks in advance and unfortunately did not go out when I wanted it to go out for whatever reason. But it probably won’t be the last time that a message like that is sent. It’s something we just constantly remind people of, just to set the right culture and standards."

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

SCOOP: Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a message to all State Department employees on Wednesday reminding them to act in accordance with ethics rules -- a day after President Donald Trump ousted US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

“As part of demonstrating our personal and professional integrity, I expect employees to avoid conflicts of interest in our work, to act impartially, and to avoid using our public offices for private gain,” Rubio said in correspondence seen by Bloomberg News.

From me and @jendeben

https://t.co/9CMRkDsugw

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

NEW: Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s support for #Ukraine on Wednesday, saying the nation “would not exist” without US backing.

https://t.co/Qw8OwYxSQB

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

Sunrise #Mumbai

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

NEW: Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with a lineup of #India's biggest and most influential billionaires during his trip to the country on Wednesday.

In Mumbai:

* 8:30am: Adani Group Chairperson Gautam Adani
* 9am: Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran

In Jamnagar:

* 12:55pm: Rubio will meet with and tour Reliance Industries

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

Eye-catching at the America 250 gala tonight in #Mumbai: a larger than life President Donald Trump talking hologram.

He discusses the founding of the nation in the 1776 -- but is currently being drowned out by a jazz band

[Bakhtiyor Saidov 🇺🇿 @FM_Saidov]

A substantive and productive visit to #Uzbekistan by my colleague, U.S. Secretary of State H.E. @SecRubio. 🇺🇿🤝🇺🇸 Talks with H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the C5+1 Ministerial Meeting, the inaugural Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue, and the second U.S.–Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council meeting gave fresh momentum to our strategic partnership. Agreed to continue working together to translate the agreements reached and priorities identified into concrete outcomes.
***
AQSh Davlat kotibi @SecRubio janoblarining O‘zbekistonga tashrifi mazmunli va samarali bo‘ldi. 🇺🇿🤝🇺🇸 O‘zbekiston Respublikasi Prezidenti Shavkat Mirziyoyev Janobi Oliylari bilan muzokaralar, “C5+1” vazirlar uchrashuvi, Kengaytirilgan strategik sheriklik muloqotining birinchi yig‘ilishi hamda O‘zbekiston–Amerika ishbilarmonlik va investitsiyalar kengashining ikkinchi yig‘ilishi strategik sherikligimizga yangi sur’at bag‘ishladi. Erishilgan kelishuvlar va belgilangan ustuvor yo‘nalishlarni aniq natijalarga aylantirish yo‘lida birgalikdagi ishlarimizni izchil davom ettirishga kelishib oldik.

[Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc]

HAPPENING NOW: Rubio departs Samarkand, closing out the Central Asia leg of his trip after meetings with all five regional partners. He’s now headed to India for the next leg focused on trade and energy ties

[Eric Martin @EMPosts]

The #Commanders team store in the New Delhi airport seems to have a completely different selection of apparel than I've seen either at the stadium in Landover or in DC...