"Bengaluru is leading the way": US Envoy Garcetti visits Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Summing up his recent visit to Bengaluru, the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti said it felt like he dived into a whirlpool of energy and innovation, as he stepped into the 'Silicon Valley' of India.

Garcetti said that he was "amazed" to witness the work being done in the city to bolster US-India relations.

He also posted a video on the social media platform, describing his stay in Bengaluru and the meetings he had, including the one with the ISRO Chairman, S Somanath. "From groundbreaking advancements in science and space exploration to cutting-edge technology and ambitious climate action initiatives, Bengaluru is leading the way," Garcetti wrote on X.

Notably, the US envoy visited Bengaluru recently to meet with space sector business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Garcetti, along with US Consul General Chris Hodges held a meeting with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath and discussed space collaboration, including the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, known as NISAR.

During his visit to Bengaluru, Garcetti also spoke with industry leaders and members of the American Chamber of Commerce India, focusing on the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) as an important mechanism for expanding the strategic security and technology cooperation between the two nations, according to US Embassy and Consulates in India press release.

He was in Bengaluru to participate in the US-India Commercial Space Cooperation Conference.

On May 25, Eric Garcetti held a meeting with the former world champion blind cricket team to learn from the diverse team and witness their skills first-hand, according to the US Embassy and Consulates in India press release. He extended his best wishes for the team's upcoming tour to the US to promote blind cricket ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.

Garcetti's first visit to Bengaluru underscored the shared commitment of the US and India to leverage technology and innovation for societal progress, laying the foundation for enhanced collaboration and strategic partnerships in commercial space exploration.

Meanwhile, US Acting Assistant Secretary of Defence for Space Policy Vipin Narang and India's Joint Secretary for International Cooperation, Vishwesh Negi, met for the second annual US-India Advanced Domains Defense Dialogue (AD3) at Pentagon in Washington, DC on May 23

Narang and Negi, during the dialogue, discussed opportunities to strengthen space cooperation and identified potential areas for collaboration with US industry. Moreover, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier said that he is tracking the process of establishing a US consulate in Bengaluru and constantly reminding them.

"Certainly, when I come to Bengaluru, it's an achievement I should talk about. We are tracking the establishment of that consulate," he stated. He highlighted that on the American side, they have to go through a certain process where they have to resource it and get approval. "I think they are moving along that way. I am there to constantly remind them that this consulate should be done quickly."

In June last year, when PM Modi made a state visit to the US, he had discussed the opening of new Consulates in each other's countries with President Joe Biden.

"The United States intends to initiate the process to open two new consulates in India in the cities of Bengaluru and Ahmedabad," the Ministry of External Affairs had then said in a press release.

The two leaders had also affirmed a vision of India and the United States as among the closest partners in the world, a partnership of democracies looking into the 21st century with hope, ambition, and confidence.