US-India partnership will define 21st century: Ambassador-designate Gor

US President Donald Trump’s trusted aide and Ambassador-designate to India, Sergio Gor, today said the US-India partnership will define the 21st century. He listed cooperation in defence, technology, AI, semiconductors, pharmaceutical and critical minerals as his job-targets in New Delhi.

Gor was appearing before the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday in Washington DC and listed how the US plans to be top energy supplier to India – crude oil and natural gas. Gor’s appointment as Ambassador to India – done on August 23 needs to be ratified by the committee led by James Risch from Trump’s own party, the Republicans.

On being asked by a Senator if he could commit on the scheduled Quad leaders meeting in India, Gor said “the President is fully committed to the meeting of Quad and strengthening it”. Gor also quantified Trump friendship with PM Narendra Modi. “President Trump has been critical of India, he goes out of his way to compliment Modi," said Gor.

Earlier, while introducing Gor to the committee, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated a further easing out of ties and said “India is one of the top relationships the US has in the world today, in terms of the future, what the world is going to look like. It is in a period of “extraordinary transition.”

Laying out his tasks in New Delhi, Gor said India's geographical position, economic growth and military capabilities make it a cornerstone of regional stability and a critical part of promoting prosperity and advancing the security interests that US and India share. “India is one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world…I will work to increase our defence cooperation, ensuring fair and beneficial trade, deepening energy security and furthering technology”.

Literally pushing for growing India-US military trade ties, Gor said he will focus on “defence and security cooperation with India. This includes advancing co-development and co-production of defence systems and concluding critical defence sales”. Gor’s words come around the time when India and the US are set to discuss the transfer of technology for aero-engines, additional surveillance planes, transport planes and even possibly fighter jets.

The US-India trust initiative launched in February by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, lays out a path to leverage the capacity of the US technology sector to out-compete China on the development of AI quantum semiconductors and other critical and emerging technologies. Gor said his task would be cut out to advance dominance of American AI technology in India.

US would be looking at advancing trade that is fair, reciprocal and beneficial to the American workers and businesses, said Gor adding that he would reforms that will make India's markets more accessible and transparent.

An expanding US trade with India – targetted to be $500 billion by 2030 – will also reduce China's economic leverage. Gor, will fill the vacancy created in New Delhi since January this year when US Ambassador Eric Garcetti was recalled after Trump took over power in Washington DC. The Ambassador-designate has worked on Trump’s presidential campaigns. In his present position of Director of Presidential Personnel, Gor hired nearly 4,000 'America first patriots' across every Department of our Federal Government. 'America first' is the political slogan of Trump to prioritise jobs and industry in his country.