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Richard Verma, the highest-ranking Indian-American official in the State Department, has expressed optimism about the future of US-India ties and emphasised the need to base the relationship on shared values rather than mere transactional dealings.
Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, said he is not worried about the differences between the US and India as they make the relationship more dynamic.
"What I don't want this to become, though, is a transactional relationship where we're just looking to sell things or you're looking to have us buy things, Verma told PTI in an interview on Friday, as he prepares to leave office.
"That is not a deep, consequential relationship built on values. I think staying true to those principles is really...important, " said Verma, who previously served as America's Ambassador to India, making him the first Indian American in that position.
President Joe Biden will cede power to President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, marking Verma's last day in office.
Verma has been a key contributor to the US-India relationship over the past two and a half decades, during which bilateral ties have grown significantly.
Confident that the India-US relationship, which enjoys bipartisan support, would continue to grow at the same speed, he hoped that this would not become a transactional relationship in the coming years.
"I hope not. I don't think so, " he said when asked if he fears this becoming a transactional one over the next few years.
"This is up to the next administration. That's why I keep going back to this need to support individuals in their journeys and making sure that they feel like they're welcome here in the United States and that they're respected and that kind of rule of law applies equally to everyone, " he said.
"So, I can't speak for what will happen next. I just know there's incredible bipartisan support for the relationship..., " he said.
Verma said there is so much that the two nations can do together.
"Again, space cooperation we haven't looked at, " he said.
"I look at how we share technology and intelligence. I look at how we do joint production and development of some of the most advanced systems and how we are prepared to defend the international order, " he said.
He also spoke about the importance of the Quad in defending the international order.
The Quad is a multilateral framework comprising India, Australia, Japan, and the US, with a shared commitment to upholding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, amidst China's aggressive behaviour in the strategically vital South China Sea.
"That's what the Quad has been about. That's what some of our other arrangements where we set the principles for this century and what it means to operate so that people have freedom, security and dignity. That's a great development on the security side, " he said.
"That has really sent a powerful signal to adversaries and to people who are trying to disrupt that international order, " Verma said.
A close confidant of President Biden, with whom he has worked for nearly a quarter of a century and outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Verma was also given additional responsibilities of the US Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery from former Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker.
He said the US-India ties have grown significantly in the last 25 years.
"Over time, we've built out the key categories. When I look at 25 years, 2000 versus 2025, we had no defence trade in 2000. Now that number is well north of USD 20 billion. In the year 2000, our two-way trade numbers were quite small. We are now north of USD 200 billion in two-way trade in goods and services, " he said.
-- Lalit K Jha in Washington, DC