New Delhi, US envoy Eric Garcetti said on Thursday that he respects that India likes its "strategic autonomy", but in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy, even as he proposed forging a stronger partnership between New Delhi and Washington. .
In his speech at a defense news conclave here, he also said that in an interconnected world, "no war is distant anymore" and asserted that one must not only defend peace but also take concrete actions to ensure that those who do not They play by peaceful rules, their war machines "cannot continue without ceasing."
The US envoy said that is something the United States needs to know and that India needs to know together. His comments come in the context of multiple ongoing conflicts in the world, including Ukraine and Israel-Gaza.
Garcetti's comments come after the Biden administration said on Tuesday that India will remain a strategic partner for the United States despite concerns about its ties with Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd annual India-Russia summit that has been closely watched by the West amid the raging Ukraine conflict. The event was held at the Unites Services Institution (USI), Delhi, and many defense experts attended.
"I know that India... and I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy. But in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy. In times of crisis, we will need to know each other. I don't know. "It doesn't matter what title we give it, but we will need to know that we are friends, trusted brothers and sisters, colleagues who in times of need... will act together," Garcetti said.
In his speech, the envoy described the ties between India and the United States as deep, ancient and expanding, but urged not to take this relationship for granted. Underscoring entire areas of cooperation, including defense, joint military exercises and India's naval prowess in the western Indian Ocean to combat piracy and other challenges, he envisioned the United States and India together as an "unstoppable force for good in the world."
He described the US-India defense partnership as one of the most important in the world.
"Not only do we see our future in India and India not only sees its future with the United States, but the world can see great things in our relationship. In other words, there are countries on the sidelines waiting for this relationship to work. Because it does work , it will not simply become a counterweight, but it will become a place where we will develop our weapons together, integrating our training together," Garcetti said. In times of emergency, whether a natural disaster or, God forbid, a war caused by man, "The United States and India will be a powerful ballast against the waves that will hit Asia and other parts of the world," he said.
"And I think we all know that we are interconnected in the world, that no war is distant anymore. And we must not simply defend peace, we must take concrete actions to ensure that those who do not follow peaceful rules, their war machines cannot continue endlessly and that is something that the United States needs to know and that India needs to know together," the envoy said.
"In the last three years, we have witnessed countries that have ignored sovereign borders. I don't have to remind myself how important borders are, it is a central principle for peace in our world," he added. In his speech, the envoy American also mentioned the "humanitarian emergencies" that have occurred along India's northern border, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait or the Middle East.
The American ambassador to India stressed that he had come to the event not to teach, preach or lecture, but always to listen, learn and remember their "shared common values."
"That when we hold on to those principles and stand together, even in difficult times, we will be friends, we will be able to demonstrate that principles are the guiding light of peace in our world. And together, the world's two largest democracies can improve the security, the stability of our region," he said. Underlining several common areas between India and the United States and their potential, the envoy said: "India sees its future with the United States, the United States sees its future with India."
"Any objective observer will see that. We see it in our commerce, we see it in our people and we certainly see it in our security and future," he added.
"It is important to us, as Americans and as Indians, that the more we put into this relationship, the more we will get out (of it). The more we insist on cynical calculations instead of relationships of trust, the less you will get out," the envoy said. He said that The US-India relationship is "broad and deeper than ever" but "still not deep enough."
"Because if we only look inward, neither the United States nor India in the Indo-Pacific will be able to keep pace with the current threats," he said, adding, "whether they are state actors on their border that we are also concerned about, in this region and in other regions," whether it's climate change and the associated threats that the United States sees in this country.
In his speech at a defense news conclave here, he also said that in an interconnected world, "no war is distant anymore" and asserted that one must not only defend peace but also take concrete actions to ensure that those who do not They play by peaceful rules, their war machines "cannot continue without ceasing."
The US envoy said that is something the United States needs to know and that India needs to know together. His comments come in the context of multiple ongoing conflicts in the world, including Ukraine and Israel-Gaza.
Garcetti's comments come after the Biden administration said on Tuesday that India will remain a strategic partner for the United States despite concerns about its ties with Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Russia for two days for the 22nd annual India-Russia summit that has been closely watched by the West amid the raging Ukraine conflict. The event was held at the Unites Services Institution (USI), Delhi, and many defense experts attended.
"I know that India... and I respect that India likes its strategic autonomy. But in times of conflict, there is no such thing as strategic autonomy. In times of crisis, we will need to know each other. I don't know. "It doesn't matter what title we give it, but we will need to know that we are friends, trusted brothers and sisters, colleagues who in times of need... will act together," Garcetti said.
In his speech, the envoy described the ties between India and the United States as deep, ancient and expanding, but urged not to take this relationship for granted. Underscoring entire areas of cooperation, including defense, joint military exercises and India's naval prowess in the western Indian Ocean to combat piracy and other challenges, he envisioned the United States and India together as an "unstoppable force for good in the world."
He described the US-India defense partnership as one of the most important in the world.
"Not only do we see our future in India and India not only sees its future with the United States, but the world can see great things in our relationship. In other words, there are countries on the sidelines waiting for this relationship to work. Because it does work , it will not simply become a counterweight, but it will become a place where we will develop our weapons together, integrating our training together," Garcetti said. In times of emergency, whether a natural disaster or, God forbid, a war caused by man, "The United States and India will be a powerful ballast against the waves that will hit Asia and other parts of the world," he said.
"And I think we all know that we are interconnected in the world, that no war is distant anymore. And we must not simply defend peace, we must take concrete actions to ensure that those who do not follow peaceful rules, their war machines cannot continue endlessly and that is something that the United States needs to know and that India needs to know together," the envoy said.
"In the last three years, we have witnessed countries that have ignored sovereign borders. I don't have to remind myself how important borders are, it is a central principle for peace in our world," he added. In his speech, the envoy American also mentioned the "humanitarian emergencies" that have occurred along India's northern border, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait or the Middle East.
The American ambassador to India stressed that he had come to the event not to teach, preach or lecture, but always to listen, learn and remember their "shared common values."
"That when we hold on to those principles and stand together, even in difficult times, we will be friends, we will be able to demonstrate that principles are the guiding light of peace in our world. And together, the world's two largest democracies can improve the security, the stability of our region," he said. Underlining several common areas between India and the United States and their potential, the envoy said: "India sees its future with the United States, the United States sees its future with India."
"Any objective observer will see that. We see it in our commerce, we see it in our people and we certainly see it in our security and future," he added.
"It is important to us, as Americans and as Indians, that the more we put into this relationship, the more we will get out (of it). The more we insist on cynical calculations instead of relationships of trust, the less you will get out," the envoy said. He said that The US-India relationship is "broad and deeper than ever" but "still not deep enough."
"Because if we only look inward, neither the United States nor India in the Indo-Pacific will be able to keep pace with the current threats," he said, adding, "whether they are state actors on their border that we are also concerned about, in this region and in other regions," whether it's climate change and the associated threats that the United States sees in this country.
