India's Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar received a warm welcome at the first meeting of the newly reconstituted US Senate India Caucus, at the ornate Mansfield Room of the US Capitol, in the presence of more than two dozen Senators from across the political divide.
She said the event was "a tribute to India, to the Indian American community in the United States, to the warm and strong ties between our two countries, and above all, to the values that bind our two nations together."
Shankar said the Senate India Caucus "is not merely a forum to advance our partnership, it is to me a very important symbol of the India-US relationship."
She lauded the founder and Republican co-chair of the Caucus Senator Joseph Cornyn of Texas for 'his vision' as he, in partnership with the then Senator from New York and now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had launched the Caucus in April 2004.
Shankar also profusely thanked Cornyn and the new Democratic co-chair Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut for their leadership in securing the overwhelming passage of the India-US civilian nuclear agreement last year.
The envoy then showered kudos on the Indian American community for their catalytic and indispensable role in moving the relations between Washington and New Delhi toward a strong strategic partnership.
"I want to especially thank the Indian American leaders who have traveled from near and far in the United States to be here for the first meeting of the Senate India Caucus in the 111th Congress," she said to loud cheers from the several hundred Indian Americans present.
Earlier, a core group of about 20 Indian American leaders who constituted the US-India Friendship Council, which was the umbrella group of the coalition of Indian American political and professional organisations that had lobbied feverishly for the passage of the nuclear deal in both houses of the Congress, had met Shankar over a lunch hosted by her, to strategise on how to keep up the momentum and move the relationship forward.
Shankar, in her address, spoke of her "great admiration of your extraordinary success and achievements, and how effectively you have served as a window to India's heritage and progress," while at the same time helping to manifest India's "diversity and pluralism."
"But I've been impressed above all with your role as responsible stakeholders in American society and its progress," she said, as Dodd and Cornyn nodded in assent.
Shankar said, "Your success has as much to do with your talent and enterprise as it has to do with the opportunities and rights that you enjoy in this great country. Individually, you have built many successful Indo-US partnerships and time and again, you have come together in great collective efforts as you did last year to open new doors to our relationship."
She was evidently referring to the community's successful lobbying efforts on behalf of the India-US nuclear deal and achieving its passage in both the House and Senate.
Shankar declared that the Indian American community "has been a great bridge of friendship and understanding between our two countries and I applaud you for the support that you have given for building this relationship."
The envoy then went on to speak of the 'truly remarkable journey' between India and the United States over the past decade, and said it had "gone into territories that neither had imagined possible a few years ago."
"This journey has transcended political transitions in both countries and has indeed been invigorated by the broad-based political support it enjoys in both nations. It has been nurtured by the vitality of private partnerships and the warmth of personal ties between our two peoples," she said.
She then informed the lawmakers and others in attendance "there are 2.7 million Indians who live in the United States and 94,000 students from India are in US universities -- the highest from any country."
"Our bilateral trade has doubled in the past five years. US exports to India have grown three times during the period, faster than Indian exports to the United States."
Shankar pointed out that "just a few years ago, Air India gave Boeing a contract for 68 aircraft," and added, "Till recently, India barely sourced any defense equipment from the United States. Last year alone, we placed orders for at least $3.5 billion."
She also predicted that "the conclusion of an understanding on End-User Monitoring Agreement during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India will open up the defence market and provide avenues for productive partnership between our companies."
Shankar, who has earlier served in the Indian embassy in Washington as minister, commerce, also detailed trade and investment between the US and India and acknowledged that "as the largest source of foreign direct and portfolio investment in India, the United States is an indispensable partner in our development."
"Today, India, in its own modest way is making a contribution to US jobs and prosperity," she said, and pointed out that "Indian direct investment in the United States on the basis of annual flows exceed US foreign direct investment into India in recent years."
Shankar said in 2007-2008 along, "an estimated $10.25 billion was invested by Indian companies in US companies, which according to estimates creates around 65,000 jobs in the US."
She also reviewed in detail the recent trip undertaken by Clinton and said its success had helped launch the third phase in the envisaged strategic partnership between the two countries.
Image: (From Left) Meera Shankar, John Cornyn, Sant Chatwal and Senator Christopher Dodd
Photograph: Snapsindia
