Ahead of the US Presidential elections, US Ambassador to India HE Richard R Verma said that the outcome of the election will not hamper the US-India relations as “they have become a non-partisan issue”. Verma was speaking at Jamia Millia Islamia on Tuesday on Indo-US relations.
Terming this year as terrific for India-US relationship, he said, “...the kind of leadership we have in Washington...US- India relation is at its peak ascendency.”
Verma expressed his excitement for the results of elections. “As the elections are just seven days away, I think I can finally sleep at night then.”
Talking about the importance of the India-US ties, Verma said, “It matters because when the US and India come together, we can make a difference in the lives of ordinary people.... The 21st century is increasingly defined by a new security paradigm, one that includes terrorism and asymmetrical warfare, cyber threats, environmental degradation, climate change, pandemic disease, resource scarcity, and other non-conventional challenges. Against this complicated global landscape, like minded partners must come together and leverage all the elements of our national power in order to overcome these challenges.”
Verma also said, “Strains to the international order, compounded by globalisation and economic inequality, are also bringing to the fore voices who seek to exploit our fears and build barriers to cooperation. We see this in many parts of the world, with growing pockets of intolerance and anti-immigrant sentiment. This has included instances of unacceptable rhetoric against Muslims, including in the US, and particularly during this Presidential campaign season.”
Congratulating the Central University on its recently concluded the 96th Foundation Day Celebrations, he called it “a historic institution of learning”.
Welcoming the Ambassador, JMI Vice Chancellor Professor Talat Ahmad said, “Jamia was of the opinion that we must have more interactions and exchanges between JMI and American universities.”
Ambassador Verma said that over the past twenty years, more than 50 students and faculty associated with Jamia have participated in US - sponsored educational and professional exchange programs which was a “testament to the leading role Jamia plays in cultivating young Indian leaders.”
last year, he said, the number of Indian students in the United States reached 132,000, the highest number ever, and expressed hope that it would grow even higher.
Talking about the flagship student and faculty exchange programs, he said, “The Fulbright-Nehru exchange program, which builds life-long bridges among our young scholars and academics, has tripled in size since 2009. Earlier this year they launched the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship to skill-up Indian and American climate experts”.
Citing the headway JMI was making in international exchange programs, he said, “29 scholars from Jamia have received Fulbright fellowships, including Dr. Akhtarul Wasey, the former Director of Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies. He earned a Fulbright Fellowship in 2008 for his efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and also participated in the International Visitor leadership Program (IVlP). Barkha Dutt, who received her Master's degree from Jamia's prestigious Mass Communication Research Center, is another alumna, who participated in a State Department exchange program.”
He said that many U.S. academic institutions were interested in the Indian market and were looking forward to India's approval of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries to enhance Government-to-Government dialogue on higher education”.
He said, “Both our countries are melting pots, where we celebrate and embrace diversity; respect minority rights and freedom of religion; guarantee equal protection under the law; and protect the freedom of speech and assembly. The real promise and potential in this relationship is not any one Government program, student exchange or transaction - it is in our shared values.”
Encouraging the students “to challenge old assumptions” he said that “the questions and debates that will shape the 21st century will be first articulated not in the conference rooms of governments but in university auditoriums like this one.”