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Kolkata: US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti addresses the gathering during an event, in Kolkata, Friday, July 19, 2024.(Photo: PTI)
Highlighting India-US relations and increasing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said that the US’s trust in India has resulted in the approval of selling their most exquisite jet engine technology to India, which America has not even sold to some of its closest allies.
The envoy recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US and said that both nations had 173 different projects, adding that if you can get five or ten, it’s a big group.
“Last year, when the prime minister visited, we had 173 different projects. You know, some people say when there’s a state visit, if you can get five or ten. That’s a big group. We had 173, and I could probably list 300 or more from the education partnerships we have, for instance, campuses in both the United States and India that are doing cutting-edge research on cures for diseases, on the moonshot to try to cure cancer,” Garcetti said.
Commending the US’s trust for India, more than its allies, Garcetti said, “The trust that the United States has for India resulted in the approval of selling our most exquisite jet engine technology, something that we haven’t even done with some of our closest allies, and the exercises that we are doing to make sure that our people know each other.”
General Electric signed a memorandum of understanding with Hindustan Aeronautics to co-produce F-414 fighter jet engines in India last June during the historic Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US.
GE’s F414 engine is a turbofan engine used by the US Navy for over 30 years.It is equipped with a dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC), a six-stage high-pressure compressor, an advanced high-pressure turbine, and a “fueldraulic” system for nozzle area control.
It offers exceptional throttle response, excellent afterburner light and stability, and unrestricted engine performance when required.
The F414 engine has powered military aircraft in eight nations, making it a trusted choice for modern fighter jets.
The US Ambassador said that both nations know how to interoperate in their time of need.
“We know how to interoperate, whether it’s a natural disaster or, God forbid, a war, where we have to be together,” he said.
Calling India and the US, “two great democracies,” Garcetti said that part of our democracies is our constitution, which upholds the civil and human rights of all people.
“We’ve certainly been inspired by India’s not only an independence movement but the non-violence movement of Mahatma Gandhi and others who helped inform people like Martin Luther King about our struggles for racial equality,” he added.
The US envoy noted that a part of the US’s foreign policy is always to invite criticism.
“So part of our foreign policy is always to invite criticism and also to look at the places we can work together on women’s empowerment, the racial and religious minority rights that people have, to be able to practice religion, to be able to not have gender take away from your opportunities and to ensure that all people have equal human rights,” he continued.
He highlighted that the US and India, together, are working on arenas like transgender rights, women empowerment, ending poverty, and many more.
“To me, those are the proactive and positive agenda of human rights between India and the United States, an example that is a contrast to dictatorships and to extremism in the world today,” he said.
Further highlighting India’s collaboration on climate financing, the US envoy said that the largest solar manufacturing plant in southern India is not only creating jobs for Indians but is also exporting those so that America can have good solar power.
“I could talk about the work that we’re doing on climate financing. The largest solar manufacturing plant in southern India, through First Solar, doesn’t depend on critical minerals that are throttled by China but instead is not only creating jobs for Indians but also exporting those so that America can have good solar power. That isn’t a strategic concern,” he said.
He said that the US-India relationship comes from the seabed all the way to the stars. “US and India are a force for good. This is not just a strategic calculation. This is a warmth that comes from our heart and also a knowledge that when we put our things together, we can do better than either country alone.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Jul 20 2024 | 3:00 PM IST
