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NEW DELHI: The US embassy belted out ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, a 1960s classic President Donald Trump used in his election rallies, to welcome ambassador Sergio Gor as he walked into his new office on Monday, hitting all the right notes while declaring that his clear mission was to take the US-India relationship to the next level. Gor backed the trade deal under discussion, saying both sides were determined to achieve it and that the next call on the issue would take place as early as Tuesday. He endorsed cooperation in counterterrorism, energy and technology, invited India to join the US-led Pax Silica initiative on supply chain security and asserted that no partner is “more essential” than India.
However, while Gor described Trump’s friendship with PM Narendra Modi as real, Gor said the US president could visit India “hopefully in the next year or two”. The remark suggests that the already delayed Quad summit that India must host might have to wait longer. Gor addressed the embassy staff and media on his first day in office, even before officially presenting his credentials, indicating he won’t be dictated by conventions in performing his new role. The ambassador said the US and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels, and real friends can disagree but always resolve their differences in the end. “Last week, our great secretary of state Marco Rubio powerfully stated that this year will be a year of reciprocity. We are raising the standard for diplomacy itself. That means fair trade, mutual respect, and shared security,” said Gor.
