New Delhi [India] : US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti has reiterated that the United States cares deeply about its relationship with both India and Canada. Garcetti's comments on Tuesday come amidst heightened tensions between India and Canada after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged that there was an Indian hand behind killing of Khalistani operative Hardeep Nijjar.
"We care about both countries, and we care about their relationship. Our relationship is rock solid with both of them. And I think that all of us need to make sure that we can come together as countries that take seriously sovereignty, take seriously security, and take seriously the potential of our relationship," the US Ambassador said.
Garcetti's comments shortly after US State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller said that the US was concerned made by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau regarding the killing of Hardeep Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India. "We are deeply concerned by the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau. We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners, as the Secretary said on Friday," the State Department spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the US envoy to India who was attending the 13th biannual Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) highlighted that India will again probably be the number one source of students from across the world and the US is very close to adjudicated one million visa applications in India.
Garcetti said, "A record number of student visas were processed this summer. Now, India, again, will probably be the number one source of students from across the world." He further said that the US is anticipating 25 per cent of foreign students just from India.
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Speaking about the IPACC, Garcetti said that it highlights how close the US and India have become to co-host all the heads of armies from around the Indo-Pacific region. "It's not just the closeness of the two nations. It's the integration of all nations, both of us speaking for a free, prosperous Indo-Pacific. It's our values that guide this. And I'm so excited to see and to demonstrate the strength not only of a bilateral relationship but what happens when India and the United States are together," he said. (ANI)
