S Jaishankar presents credentials to Obama at the White House

S Jaishankar, India's new Ambassador to the US, today formally presented his credentials to US President Barack Obama at the White House.
During the formal credentialing ceremony at the Oval Office, Obama warmly welcomed Jaishankar to Washington and wished him success in his responsibilities as India's next Ambassador to the United States.
"The President said that US and India could accomplish a lot together," the Indian Embassy said in a statement.
"Jaishankar, in his remarks to President Obama, conveyed warm greetings from the President and the Prime Minister of India to him and Michelle Obama," the media note said.
Jaishankar during the credentialing ceremony assured Obama of his commitment to expand key pillars of the bilateral relationship including economic relations and trade ties, defense and security, energy, science and technology and global issues.

Along with Jaishankar, Obama also accepted formal credentials of several other new Ambassadors including those from Pakistan, Tunisia, Papua New Guinea, Belgium and Qatar.

Pakistan's former foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani is the country's new Ambassador to the US.
"The presentation of credentials is a traditional ceremony that marks the formal beginning of an Ambassador's service in Washington," the White House said in a statement.
Jaishankar, former Ambassador to China, who played a key role in India-US nuclear deal, arrived in Washington late December, at a time when relationship between two sides was experiencing some tensed moments following the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in an alleged visa fraud case.

Jaishankar this year has met several eminent American lawmakers, Governors and has started travelling widely across the country.
In a recent address to the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs, he said the Indo-US relationship is busy coping with the challenges of normalcy.
Considered to be a strong advocate of relationship between the two largest democracies of the world, in his address to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Jaishankar said that politically there is no question that the comfort levels of India and the US are higher than they have ever been before.
"We are now talking defense cooperation, counter- terrorism and homeland security with as much ease as we are energy, education or health," Jaishankar said.