NEW DELHI: India and the United States are collaborating on nearly every human endeavour and the projects initiated by them will change the world, said US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
"I saw the personal rapport between President Biden and Prime Minister Modi. I saw the power of transformative friendship. In sum, I saw history being made and our future framed," said Ambassador Garcetti who was speaking at an event here on Peace, Prosperity, Planet and People – A New Chapter in the US-India Relationship.
The US will be granting close to one million visas to Indians this year. Last year, one out of every five US student visas issued worldwide went to an Indian, and over 200,000 Indians are studying in the United States.
Meanwhile, talking about their defence collaboration, Ambassador Garcetti highlighted that at present India conducts more military exercises with the US than it does with any other country.
"I hope soon we’ll see the US and India working together across the Pacific and into the Atlantic, from Central Asia to Southern Africa. We can deploy our ships together in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and even beyond, to ensure maritime security," said Ambassador Garcetti, adding that the US is India’s largest trading partner, with more than $191 billion dollars in two-way trade.
He also said that the two nations can further enhance strategic ties by deploying their air forces across the Indo-Pacific region to ensure freedom of the skies and the seas, and to jointly respond to humanitarian crises from the Sahara to the Pacific Islands.
"We can coordinate our land-force exercises across regions to bolster the sovereign defence of all countries who want to work with us. These are opportunities fully within our control as major defence partners," he added.
"In the United States, more than 20 elected and appointed government officials proudly claim Indian heritage. Of course, this includes our Vice President Kamala Harris. Indian-origin CEOs head many of the United States’ largest and most iconic companies, such as Alphabet/Google, Microsoft, Starbucks and Adobe. In fact, more than 10 percent of Fortune 500 company CEOs are of Indian ancestry," said Ambassador Garcetti.
During the last six months, five members of the US Cabinet – President Biden’s closest government advisors – visited India to meet with their counterparts and more visits are planned, he said.
"After all, in India a young boy selling tea grew up to lead his country on the global stage. In India, a Santali teacher rose to become President of her country. Today, India is improving lives and pulling people out of poverty through its transformative technology. That’s why I’d like to underscore my remarks today with a simple Hindi phrase: Sapne sakar karna," he added.