Eric Garcetti sworn in as US envoy to India

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 25

After a wait of over two years, India will have a full-fledged Ambassador from the US.

Critical role

Ambassador Garcetti is a committed public servant and will play a critical role in strengthening our partnership with the people of India. — Kamala Harris, US Vice-president

US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Friday swore in her fellow Californian, Eric Garcetti, as the next US Ambassador to India. “Ambassador Garcetti is a committed public servant and will play a critical role in strengthening our partnership with the people of India,” said Harris in a Twitter post shortly after the swearing-in ceremony. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing, “We welcome the confirmation of Eric Garcetti as the US Ambassador to India. We look forward to working with him to take forward the multifaceted bilateral relations.” India’s envoy to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu met Garcetti and discussed the immediate priorities in deepening the bilateral strategic partnership. “As he prepares to depart for India, we discussed some immediate priorities in deepening the bilateral partnership in line with our leaders’ vision,” tweeted Sandhu.

Garcetti was not confirmed for two years due to concerns by some lawmakers that he had not adequately handled allegations of sexual assault and harassment against a former senior adviser.

Garcetti’s nomination was also welcomed by a large number of politicians, entrepreneurs as well as India-American businessmen working on the Indo-US trade circuit.

Mayor of Los Angeles since 2013, Garcetti served for 12 years as an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy Reserve Component, including a stint with the Pacific Fleet and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

He was also a City Council member for 12 years and oversaw the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the country, and one of the busiest airports in the world. He led LA’s successful bid to return the summer Olympic Games to American soil for the first time in three decades. He currently chairs LA Metro, the country’s second-busiest transit agency, which is building or extending 15 new transit lines and shifting to an all-electric fleet, said a White House brief.

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