US ambassador Garcetti describes ties with India as 'multiplicative relationship'

KOLKATA: US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, on Friday described the ties between the two countries as "multiplicative" and said the world's largest and the oldest democracies are moving forward because they "love each other".

Stating that in his 16-17 months as the US ambassador to India, he has visited 23 states and Union territories and stitched together the marvellous view of a country that is rising in the world and of an economy that is the strongest in the developing world.

Speaking at an education meet here, Garcetti described the India-United States relations as a "multiplicative" relationship.

"It's a relationship not of addition... it's not India plus the United States when India and the US are together, it's a multiplicative relationship," he said.

Garcetti said that India and the US are moving forward together because "we love each other."

Lauding India's leadership in organising the G20 summit in 2023, he said the two countries are working together on climate change, women empowerment, financial institutional reforms, security and peace and the principles of non-violence.

"All the things we have been able to do are examples of how India and the US are able to multiply our relationship together," the US ambassador said.

Maintaining that India and the US have close security and military ties and regularly hold joint military exercises, Garcetti said that the US has also worked with India in times of conflict by way of intelligence sharing and training.

Garcetti said the US and India are working together closely in the field of artificial intelligence.

He said that the two countries working together can also ensure that people are not dependent on equipment from any single country in the telecommunications sector.

The ambassador said that India and the US can work together on climate change which is showing its vicious signs with some extremely hot days and very heavy rain in short periods of time.

Garcetti said that Indian and US expertise are being used together to help third countries in fields like healthcare as done in Fiji and the Philippines.

He said that the two countries will also work together with Tanzania as part of such triangular cooperation.

He said that India has been, for the second year in a row, the number one source of higher education students for American universities and colleges.