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‘Most important country for me’: What Biden told US ambassador to India
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti highlights the profound connection between nations through the Indian diaspora.
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Tuesday highlighted the profound connection between nations through the Indian diaspora. Delivering the keynote address at the Indiaspora G20 forum, Garcetti said US President Joe Biden had stressed to him the importance of India in the world.
Talking about his “dream” to be in India, the envoy said he thought he would come back to live in Bodh Gaya and do a Buddhist studies programme.
“But politics got in the way. I got elected to the student council and I promised I would serve, so my India dream kind of died, or so I thought. But the universe has a curious way of connecting people and dreams. Now suddenly I'm living that dream here when President Biden asked me to consider serving here,” the diplomat said.
“He (President Biden) told me, when he asked me to come here to serve, he said, this is the most important country in the world for me, I think something that no American president has ever uttered in the history of our two countries,” he added.
I thought it was just Joe Biden and he tells the candidate for ambassador to Liechtenstein, “Liechtenstein is the most important country in the world. But he actually meant it because I heard him say it to the prime minister during the state visit.”
Highlighting the importance of the Indian diaspora, Garcetti said 4 million people represent 1 per cent of the population of America but 6 per cent of the tax base.
“They are 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs.”
Garcetti said the best thing "you can have in life is being comfortable crossing borders, navigating between places".
"We are part of multiple identities. But in reality, we are part of concentric circles," he said.
His keynote address was on 'The Indian Diaspora - A Bridge between the United States and India'.
