President Barack Obama’s nominee Richard Rahul Verma, who may soon be confirmed by the Senate as US Ambassador to India, believes that India-US ties are duly reenergized and poised to move to the next level.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of the confirmation process, Verma said: “There is no question that this is a defining and exciting time in the US-India relationship.”
“President Obama will make a historic visit to India in January, becoming the first US head of state to attend India’s Republic Day and the only sitting US President to visit India twice. His trip will build on Prime Minister Modi’s highly successful visit to the United States this past September,” Verma said, adding: “There’s little doubt the relationship has been reenergised, with renewed enthusiasm to take our partnership to the next level.”
Verma, a former Assistant Secretary of State under Hillary Clinton and a top aide to Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, told the panel that for over two decades, he has had “the good fortune of working in the national security and foreign policy arenas, with much of that time focused on South Asia”.
“Whether in the military, working here on Capitol Hill, the State Department or in the private sector, I have seen first-hand how consequential our partnership with India can be,” he said.
“If confirmed, I am committed to partnering with you again in shaping our relationship to India — a country so important that President Obama called it the defining relationship for the United States in the 21st Century,” he said.
In a rare appearance before the committee, Senator Reid personally introduced Verma, commending him as someone who is “uniquely suited to be our Ambassador to India”. He singled out for mention Verma’s contributions connected with the legislation on the landmark US-India civil nuclear deal.