Next year a crucial one for US-India relationship, says US Assistant Secretary  

Washington: Next year is going to be pivotal in the US-India relationship as President Joe Biden looks forward to his trip to India in September this year. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Donald Lu said that India’s 2023 G20 presidency further broadens its capacity to stand as a force for good in the world. “This is gonna be a big year. Of course, India is hosting the G-20. This year, the United States is hosting APEC. Japan is hosting the G7. We have lots of our QUAD members who are taking on leadership roles. And it provides opportunities for all of us to bring our countries closer together,” Lu told PTI. He added, “I know our President is looking forward to travelling to India in September. That will be his first trip to India as part of the G-20 Leaders Summit. We’re really excited about what’s to come in the next few months.” Talking about how 2023 has already been an exciting year for both countries, Lu said, “We’re only a little over three months into this new year. And we’ve had a number of really exciting things that happened.” The current year has welcomed US leaders like Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to India. “In March Dr Jaishankar hosted his QUAD counterparts for a ministerial meeting and extraordinary public events at the Raisina Dialogue with all four foreign ministers together. It was the first such public discussion with QUAD foreign ministers and really drove home how our four countries are coming together to support the people of the Indo-Pacific,” Lu further said. Talking about the newly-appointed US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, Lu said, “And then lastly, this month, the arrival of our new Ambassador Eric Garcetti. He has already received a really warm welcome from our Indian and American staff at the US Embassy. Once he presents his credentials, he is looking forward to meeting with the rest of India and I think India will find that he is young, he is enthusiastic, and he’s eager to bring our relations to new heights.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.