US Ambassador asserts need for strengthening India-US partnership

New Delhi, July 13: "India sees its future with the United States, and the United States sees its future with India," emphasized U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, during the two-day “U.S.-India Defence News Conclave: Stories of U.S-India Defence and Security Partnership” held in New Delhi.

Highlighting the centrality of commerce, technology, people, and security in this vital partnership, Ambassador Garcetti underscored the importance of alignment in thought and action between the two nations.

“We know that heads think the same and hearts feel the same but need to know if our feet are aligned too,” he remarked, delivering the keynote address at the important session of the series, titled “Dialogues on Deliverables to Deliveries.” The event, which featured insightful discussions and a forward-looking agenda, reinforced the depth and breadth of India-U.S. ties.

“Our relationship is not a bet; it is a commitment and friendship that is true, tried, and tested. It is not a win or lose or a zero-sum game; it’s all about trusting each other without the hope for return,” Ambassador Garcetti said. “When we stand together with our friends, we can ensure that right can make the might. When the two largest democracies come together, it reflects how much we value principles as the guiding light for peace in the world.”

He further highlighted the long-term vision of the partnership: “We (United States) are with you (India) for the long haul, and our leaders have pledged to go further in terms of technology, defence, start-ups, tech, and space. We want India to be a place we come to, to fix our ships, to find great jobs, and to know each other’s systems and training.” He also advised, “Don’t take this relationship for granted; take this as marriage that requires effort.”

The U.S. Mission to India, in partnership with CUTS International and in collaboration with the United Service Institution of India (USI) and the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), organized this conclave in Delhi. This event marked the culmination of a series of sessions designed to foster meaningful discussions on the U.S.-India defence partnership, aiming to bring industry experts from both countries together and generate awareness about the growing partnership in the Indo-Pacific and beyond among traditional and online media professionals across India.

Vishesh Negi, Joint Secretary of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Defense, Government of India, echoed these sentiments, stating, “India and the U.S. are natural partners in the 21st century and beyond. This partnership has a robust defence and security focus along with promoting regional stability and ensuring common prosperity for India and the United States. What we have now is a very robust military-to-military cooperation, exercising together, and the major reasons are the use of similar technology and the interest in the Indo-Pacific region.”

In her closing remarks, Gloria Berbena, Minister Counsellor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, highlighted the need for more such conclaves. “We launched this series of conclaves to try to help demystify aspects of our military and security relationship...recognizing that unless what we are doing and trying to achieve in this area is clear and understandable for the average Indian and American citizen, in addition to those who think and work in this sector every day, we are not doing our jobs well. And ultimately, we are not serving our publics and our democracies well.”

“Our security partnership must be as transparent as possible and be open to scrutiny and discussion,” she added. “A big part of that is fostering a strong and professional journalistic understanding and facilitating ready access to reliable and objectively verifiable information. These are pillars of every democratic nation, and they undergird public trust and accountability. As our nations navigate rapidly shifting and often challenging geopolitical realities, the need for an informed citizenry has never been more critical, and an informed citizenry depends on you all.”

This seminar was much of interest to the audience as it was organised a couple of days after Prime Minister Narender Modi returned from a successful official trip to Moscow and Vienna.