Indian Diaspora Key in Bilateral Ties: Garcetti

Outgoing American ambassador Eric Garcetti on Monday highlighted the importance of visas and people-to-people contacts in strengthening India-US ties at a time when president-elect Donald Trump's administration is expected to bring in stricter immigration policies.

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI:

Garcetti, a political appointee of US President Joe Biden who is set to step down soon, made the remarks while delivering the last of four public lectures on different aspects of India-US ties. While he made no reference to the incoming Trump administration, he spoke about proving "haters wrong" and pointed to greater economic and educational exchanges making both countries stronger.

He noted that the US issued more than one million non-immigrant visas to Indians for the second year in a row in 2024, and that wait times for all visa types, except first-time visitor visas, had been eliminated. He also described the four-million-strong Indian diaspora in the US as the "greatest secret weapon" in the relationship, and said they have fueled connections between the two sides.