After his recent visit to India, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and former US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, expressed optimism about the future of the US-India partnership, describing the visit as “productive.”
Sharing a post on his X, Verma said, “Had a productive visit to India last week! We advanced many US priorities including security, climate action, and clean energy. The United States and India partnership is filled with promise for the future.”
Last week, Verma travelled to New Delhi to engage with high-ranking Indian officials such as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and senior advisers to the Prime Minister. The discussions focused on US-India strategic cooperation in areas such as security, the digital economy, and clean energy supply chains. He also addressed issues related to multilateral coordination, including within the Quad.
Richard Verma, who notably served as the 25th United States Ambassador to India after being nominated by President Barack Obama in September 2014, recently spoke at an event organized by the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in the national capital.
“Our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific has brought us closer and helped reinforce the post-war order and norms grounded on democracy, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” Verma said at the event.
Richard Verma stated that initiatives such as the Quad have provided greater clarity to cooperation frameworks and have contributed to empowering and securing citizens.
“Our new architectures for cooperation, chief among them the Quad, has brought greater certainty and clarity to the frameworks for cooperation, and indeed a sense of optimism for the future – despite initial scepticism from some corners, the QUAD has evolved into a leaders-level organization forming a new pillar of Indo-Pacific architecture,” he said.
“When like-minded nations come together as they have in the Quad to deliver greater peace and prosperity, maritime security, to battle climate change, and so much more, our citizens are empowered and they are more secure,” Verma added.
He also discussed the collaboration between India and the US in addressing climate change, highlighting the US-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership.
“On protecting the planet and battling climate change, we have found how much can be achieved when India and the United States work together. While India and the US are two of the largest emitters in the world, we’ve also partnered to address the climate crisis and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement by launching the US – India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership. Last year, President Biden and Prime Minister Modi announced plans to cooperate on rolling out 10,000 e-buses in India,” he said.
Richard Verma praised the role of sports in strengthening India-US relations. He expressed pride in the US hosting the ICC T20 World Cup this year and expressed hope that India will host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
“Sports and deep pride in the achievement of our athletes continue to unite our countries. It was an honour for the United States to co-host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and we cheered on both our teams and celebrated India’s thrilling championship win,” Verma said.
He added, “I know it was this close bond that inspired the dedicated advocacy of then-Mayor and now Ambassador Garcetti in his successful campaign to restore cricket to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. And, who knows, we may even see the Summer Olympics hosted right here in India in 2036.”
Emphasising the promising future of India-US relations, the US leader reiterated President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s statement calling it the “defining partnership of the 21st Century.”
