Washington and New Delhi can agree to disagree: US envoy

Stating that religious freedom is an important part of any democracy, the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said that sometimes New Delhi and Washington can “agree to disagree” on certain things and it should not be read negatively.

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The US State Department had earlier said that it is “concerned” over the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in India, adding that it is “closely monitoring” the implementation of the act.

Speaking to ANI, Garcetti said, “It’s something that we monitor, and I said that. And I said in broad strokes that religious freedom is an important part of any democracy. Protecting minorities is very important. That doesn’t have to be read negatively.”

“And I think it’s the job of monitoring what happens. That’s the job of an ambassador. That’s the job of a state department. The Ministry of External Affairs’ job and the Indian ambassador’s job is to monitor and to report. And we simply said that,” he added.