US Ambassador Eric Garcetti hails strong, growing bilateral ties with India

Chennai: United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has hailed the strong and growing ties between India and the US and described the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi there as "a prime example of the accelerated collaboration between our two countries".

He made the remarks while presiding over the 247th anniversary celebration of US independence here on Thursday evening.

According to a release from the US Consulate here, the event highlighted US-India areas of cooperation, including in the Indo-Pacific, gender equity, innovation, space, and climate change, while also recognising robust people-to-people ties and institutional partnerships between the two countries.

Ambassador Garcetti hailed the strong and growing partnership between the US and India, particularly South India.

"The deep ties between the US and India are gaining strength in many key areas and South India has a key role in the partnership. The upcoming visit to the US by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a prime example of the accelerated collaboration between our two countries. The US-India partnership is one of our most consequential relationships," he was quoted as saying.

He said the US looked forward to continuing to work with India on shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region. "We continue to engage India to deepen our cooperation on the vital issues of peace, prosperity, the planet, and our peoples." Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T R B Rajaa said the southern state has deep ties with the US.

"Tamil Nadu values freedom, diversity, and equality as much as the US does, and we wish to deepen our ties by collaborating on sustainable industrial growth in the spirit of these values," he said.

American Independence Day, also referred to as the Fourth of July in the United States, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

US Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin among others attended the event.