Page 59 - Us India Relations

Indian-American organisations welcome appointment of Kwatra as envoy to US

Indian-American organisation and US advocacy groups have welcomed the appointment of seasoned diplomat Vinay Kwatra as the Indian ambassador to the United States, saying they look forward to working with him to elevate the bilateral partnership to new heights. Kwatra, the former foreign secretary, was appointed on Friday as India's ambassador to the United States. The post of India's envoy to the US has been lying vacant since Taranjit Sandhu retired in January. Indiaspora would like to congratulate Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra on his appointment as the next Indian Ambassador to the United States. Kwatra has served India honourably over a distinguished 30-year career, most recently as Foreign Secretary for India, Indiaspora said. Ambassador Kwatra will undoubtedly play a key role in helping to strengthen and grow the US-India relationship. Indiaspora is looking forward to working with Ambassador Kwatra, it said. As Foreign Secretary, he skillfully navigated India's foreign policy throug

Trust led to US selling most exquisite jet engine tech to India: Garcetti

The US Ambassador said that both nations know how to interoperate in their time of need

US calls India 'key partner', urges support for lasting peace in Ukraine

India has always advocated peace and diplomacy for resolving the conflict between Ukraine and Russia

Retired diplomat Vinay Kwatra nominated as new US ambassador to secure ties

Kwatra, who retired as India's foreign secretary earlier this month, will look to bring certainty to the India-US relationship

US urges India to utilise its relations with Russia to end Ukraine war

The spokesperson of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, in a press briefing on Monday not only noted the strong Delhi-Moscow ties but also urged India to tell Putin to respect the UN Charter

News updates: 'It is against what we stand for,' Biden addresses the nation on Trump rally shooting

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Indian consulate in Seattle inaugurates new visa application centre

The Indian Consulate in Seattle has inaugurated its new visa application centre which will offer full visa and passport services to applicants preparing for travel to India from the greater Seattle area. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, who attended the Friday event alongside Port Commissioner Sam Cho and State Rep. Vandana Slatter, presented the first Indian passport and visa to eager applicants, marking a special moment for the community. Mayor Harrell expressed admiration for the Indian community in Seattle, praising their contributions to enriching the bonds between India and the USA. Prakash Gupta, Consul General of India in Seattle, said: The opening of the Indian consulate in Seattle reflects the Indian government's commitment to deepening relations with the Pacific Northwest states. In addition to the Seattle location, a drop-off facility is now open at Bellevue, making it easier for Eastsiders to access these services. These centres will streamline the visa process for Indian

NSA Doval speaks to US counterpart Sullivan, discusses global challenges

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a phone conversation on Friday with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan amid some indication of unease in India-US ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Doval and Sullivan reiterated the need to work "collectively" to address global challenges to peace and security and further expand the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. It said the two national security advisors agreed to work closely to further advance India-US relations, which are "built on shared values and common strategic and security interests". "They discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern and forthcoming high-level engagements under the Quad framework to be held in July 2024 and later in the year," the MEA said in a statement. The phone conversation between the NSAs came a day after US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti appeared to be critical of India

US official asks India to play a constructive role for peace in Ukraine

India, as a critical security provider globally, must play a constructive role in ensuring peace in Ukraine and providing it with the impetus to be able to negotiate with Russia, a senior US official has said. Liam Wasley, Director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs at the US State Department said this, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-profile visit to Moscow and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin, including on the Ukraine conflict. Wasley said Indians should understand how much of a threat President Putin and his country are to America's European allies and the NATO alliance. It has also been a very jarring direct threat to the security of a billion members of democracies, Wasley told PTI in an interview. I think that the Indian people can recognise how that is impacting the understanding and the approach of our NATO allies. It's really important for India to be playing a constructive role in ensuring a just peace for Ukraine and providin

After PM Modi's Russia visit, US says India remains a strategic partner

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US has been quite clear about its concerns about India's relationship with Russia and will continue conveying them to New Delhi

US will continue to view India as its strategic partner: Pentagon

The United States will continue to view India as a strategic partner and have robust dialogue with the country, the Pentagon said on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his historic visit to Russia, to which the Joe Biden administration has expressed its concerns. "India and Russia have had a relationship for a very long time. From a US perspective, India is a strategic partner with whom we continue to engage in with full and frank dialogue to include their relationship with Russia. As it relates to the NATO summit being this week, of course, like you, the world is focused on that," Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here. "But I do not think anybody will be surprised if (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin tries to represent this visit in a way that seeks to somehow show that he is not isolated from the rest of the world. And the fact of the matter is, President Putin's war of choice has isolated Russia from the rest of

India a strategic partner, says US in backdrop of PM Modi's Russia visit

India is a strategic partner with whom it engages in a full and frank dialogue, the United States said on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. "India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in a full and frank dialogue. And that includes our concerns about their relationship with Russia," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said. He was responding to questions on Modi's Moscow visit for bilateral talks with Putin. "We did just see Modi, like (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban, meet with (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy. We thought that was an important step to take. And we would urge India, as we do any country when it engages with Russia, to make clear that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine needs to be one that respects the UN charter, that respects Ukraine's territorial integrity, Ukraine's sovereignty," Miller said. "I will look to Prime Minister Modi's public remarks

Officials from Quad countries review progress made since May 2023 summit

Senior officials from Quad member countries have reviewed the progress made by various Quad Working Groups in achieving the commitments made at the grouping's summit in May 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The officials, who met through video conference on Wednesday, also discussed new ideas to further the grouping's collaboration in delivering public good in the Indo-Pacific region in areas such as health security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, climate resilience, and countering terrorism, the ministry said in a statement. Senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Department of State of the US met to review the progress made by various Quad Working Groups in achieving the commitments made at the May 2023 Quad Leaders' Summit, it said. "They also discussed new ideas to further the Quad's collaboration in delivering public .

US deepening relationship with India in several key areas: Official

The US is deepening its relationship with India in several key areas, including economic and security cooperation, a senior official has said, emphasising that Washington will continue to cultivate this relationship. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks on Monday at his daily news conference in response to a question on US-India relations and the recent conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the recent G7 Summit in Italy. "India is a country in which we are deepening our relations within a number of key spaces, especially as it relates to deepening our economic ties, deepening our security cooperation," Patel told reporters. President Biden "had the opportunity to briefly see Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in the margins of the G7 a couple of weeks ago," he added. So this is an area where we will continue to cultivate this relationship," he said. Noting that the US hosted Prime Minister Modi for a

India and US extend 2% digital tax pact on e-commerce till June 30

In October 2021, India and the US came to terms to settle differences with respect to the equalisation levy, commonly known as the digital tax

Rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech in India concerning: Blinken

There has been a "concerning increase" in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities in India, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. In his remarks at the release of the annual State Department report on international religious freedom, Blinken said on Wednesday that at the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom. The report stated that senior US officials continued to raise concerns about religious freedom issues with their Indian counterparts in 2023. "In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities. At the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom," the secretary of state said. Ten of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions for all faiths. Some of these states also impose ...

Pannun assassination: Will look forward to results of inquiry, says US

While addressing a press briefing, Miller noted that they have raised the issue with the Indian government and told them that the US expects full investigation into the matter

US, India can achieve headway in defence, technologies in Modi 3.0: Envoy

Progress in defence partnerships, critical emerging technologies and economic prosperity can be achieved when an "ambitious India" works with an "ambitious America during Modi 3.0, US envoy Eric Garcetti has said. Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the ruling NDA coalition for their successful election, Garcetti said in Modi 3.0 is a time to turn dreams of the bilateral relationship into reality. I think in Modi 3.0, it's a time for us to take our dreams and to really make them reality, Garcetti said in the interview with PTI, the first by a senior Biden Administration official after the recent general elections in India in which after which Prime Minister Modi was voted to power for a historic third consecutive term. Whether it's the work that we're doing together on our defence partnership, whether it's our critical emerging technologies, or whether it's the work that we're doing to build economic prosperity, I think those three things in Modi 3.0, we can loo

USTSA seeks one-stop pact with India to end rescreening of passengers

The US transport security body has sought a unique one-stop agreement with India to end the rescreening of passengers, asserting that the "really powerful" concept will raise global aviation security standards. Addressing the India US Aviation Summit here on Tuesday, David Pekoske, Administrator of the US Transportation Security Administration (USTSA) said that the one-stop security concept is "very reachable" between the countries. I think very tangible and very reachable between India and the United States is one-stop security," he said. "It's a concept that expedites the flow of passengers and baggage to their destinations by eliminating the duplication of security controls at transfer points, Pekoske said. He said in the case of a one-stop agreement, passengers who reach an airport in another country and have a connecting domestic flight would not need to be rescreened and their checked bags would go from aircraft to aircraft. Terming it a "really powerful" concept, Pekoske sa

US trade body approves funding to develop integrated aviation hub in Hissar

The US Trade and Development Agency has approved grant funding for technical assistance to help create an integrated aviation hub at the Hisar Airport in Haryana, aiming to develop airport cargo and logistics infrastructure to strengthen India's supply chain network, a top official has said. US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Director Enoh T Ebong announced this on Tuesday at the three-day US-India Aviation Summit here. I am delighted to announce that USTDA has approved grant funding for technical assistance to help create an integrated aviation hub at the Hisar Airport in the State of Haryana," she said. "Our work will help develop airport cargo and logistics infrastructure that will strengthen India's supply chain network, she said without providing the quantum of the grant funding from the USTDA. Our partner for this activity will be the Haryana Airports Development Corporation (HADC), and our assistance will include capacity building to facilitate HADC's implementation of