India has welcomed the confirmation of U.S. Ambassador-designate Eric Garcetti by the Senate saying that New Delhi looks forward to work with him to advance bilateral relations. The post has been vacant since January 2021-the longest gap in the history of U.S.-India relations.
It took more than two years for the US to confirm its ambassador to India. Despite the US reiterating close strategic ties with India several times after Biden administration took over, they could not appoint their ambassador for so long. On one hand, there was talk of growing relations and strengthening ties but on the other, the US Embassy in New Delhi was managed by junior officers. There were high level engagements between the two nations, including visit by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken for the G20 foreign ministers meet in New Delhi and other secretaries and high level officials, but all this while the full-fledged post of the US ambassador was lying vacant. And this was not
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for India’s external ministry, told reporters at a briefing Thursday, “Let me emphasise, we welcome the confirmation of Mr. Eric Garcetti as the Ambassador to India. We look forward to working with him to take forward our multifaceted bilateral relation,”
Eric Garcetti’s confirmation had been stuck at the legislative level in the U.S. where he faced multiple hurdles, including allegations of sexual harassment by his chief of staff Rick Jacobs. It seems that the decision was finally made after the Senate emphasized the U.S. strategic imperative of confirming him. On Wednesday, Todd Young of Indiana, one of the two Republican senators to vote for Garcetti in the committee vote, said, “This has become a grave national security concern of mine, not to have an ambassador in place. Our strategic partners wouldn’t conceive of going two years into the establishment of a government and failing to place their person in the role.” Garcetti was approved just a few months before a possible state visit to Washington by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this summer.
India’s relationship with the U.S. has been growing significantly in 2022. US President Biden met with Indian PM Modi twice in the past year, strengthening trade ties between the two countries, and reinforcing the regional Quad security dialogue with Japan and Australia.
Eric Garcetti has been appointed at a time when the two countries are focused on upward trajectory for their ties, be it bilateral relations or engagements through Quad or G20.
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