‘Namaste’: US ambassador-designate to India Eric Garcetti arrives in Delhi
Despite pushback from several key US senators, Biden administration stood by Eric Garcetti’s candidature, and he was confirmed as the 25th US envoy to India.
NEW DELHI: The US ambassador-designate to India, Eric Garcetti, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to fill a position that has been vacant for more than two years, following a long-drawn process for his confirmation in the US Senate.
“Namaste, Ambassador-Designate Eric Garcetti! We’re thrilled to welcome you to #IncredibleIndia and work with you to build even stronger ties between our two great nations. #USIndiaTogether,” the US embassy said in a tweet on Tuesday evening.
Garcetti’s nomination by the Biden administration had been dogged by charges that he overlooked alleged acts of sexual harassment by an aide during his stint as the mayor of Los Angeles. Despite pushback from several key US senators, the Biden administration stood by Garcetti’s candidature, and he was confirmed as the 25th US envoy to India in a bipartisan vote on March 15.
The last US ambassador, Kenneth Juster, who was appointed by former US president Donald Trump, completed his term in January 2020. The gap between the ambassadorial appointments was the longest time that the post of US envoy had remained vacant.
The US administration’s decision to stand by Garcetti’s candidature also reflects President Joe Biden’s confidence in the ambassador-designate and the close ties between the two men.
Garcetti will play a key role in guiding India-US relations, which have expanded significantly in areas ranging from defence and security to trade and technology cooperation despite recent differences in the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
India and the US recently launched the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), a bilateral defence industrial cooperation roadmap that will focus on joint development and production of military hardware. The two sides have also expanded cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and within the framework of the Quad, and the US has been looking to India to act as a counter-balance against the rise of China.
Despite pressure from the US to take a stronger stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, New Delhi has refrained from publicly censuring Moscow’s actions and ramped up the purchase of discounted Russian crude.
Garcetti served as a naval officer in the reserve component for 12 years and was selected by the Rockefeller Foundation as a Next Generation Leadership fellow. He studied Hindi and Indian culture and history while at Columbia College, Columbia University and earned a Master’s degree at the university’s School of International and Public Affairs. He was also selected as a Rhodes Scholar and studied at The Queen’s College, Oxford, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
A fourth-generation native of Los Angeles, Garcetti is a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild and is an avid pianist and photographer.
