US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, on Sunday highlighted that US-India relations have reached new heights, thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden.
During a visit to India with his family, Garcetti met with PM Modi and acknowledged that the two leaders had achieved record-breaking milestones in various areas, including visas, trade, defense collaboration, space cooperation, student exchanges, and investments.
In a post on X, Garcetti said, “Had a great final visit with PM Modi with my family. It’s clear that he and President Biden have raised our compelling and consequential US-India partnership to new heights—record visas, record trade, record defense collaboration, record space cooperation, record students, record investments, and so much more.”
Garcetti expressed his gratitude to PM Modi and the people of India for their warm hospitality during his final visit to the country. He emphasized that the US-India partnership has become indispensable and will continue to grow stronger in the coming years.
“What was seen as unthinkable a generation ago will seem indispensable a generation from now, thanks to the work of these leaders and the people of our nations. Thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you to all Indians. It’s been a daily joy to help co-write this chapter with you,” he added.
While attending the inauguration ceremony of the US Consulate office in Bengaluru on Friday, Garcetti noted that it was not the beginning of a new US presence in India, but rather an expansion of the existing one.
“We are not beginning a new presence here in Karnataka; we are expanding our existing presence here, a commitment America makes to this great state and city in this amazing nation as well. And thank you to all of our honorable dignitaries,” he said.
The US Ambassador also reflected on the rich history of US-India relations, dating back to 1776 when the US opened its second-ever consulate in Kolkata, India. He noted that the recent inauguration of the US Consulate office in Bengaluru marks an expansion of US presence in India, rather than a new beginning.
“We’ve been talking about this for a long time, right? We started together to make sure this beginning plants a seed that will flower for decades to come. Our relationship with India is not new. Many Americans don’t know, and very few Indians know, that our second consulate in the world was here in India. The first, after the independence of a new America in 1776, was in Lyon, France, and then the second was in Kolkata, showing back then the importance of India to a new American nation. Since then, we have grown to five posts, seven if you count our commercial offices, including here and in Ahmedabad”, Garcett said.
“This is now the second-largest US mission in the world. It produces the second-most visas and the most students. We’re breaking records every single year—record employees, record visas, record students, record military exercises, record engagement from the seabed to space,” he added.
