"We're Always Here When You Call": Eric Garcetti On India-US Ties

US will always be available for support when needed, Eric Garcetti said.

Mumbai:

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Wednesday highlighted the close friendship between the two nations when it comes to solving border issues, saying that “we’re always here when you call.”

Eric Garcetti visited Pandal on Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai.

Speaking on US-India relations, Garcetti told ANI, “We know sometimes we face the same enemies, so if they’re non-state actors or state actors, we are stronger together. We’re making progress there, and we do believe that we can give India the space to solve its own bordering issues. But we’re always here when you call.”

Further, Garcetti also emphasised that India’s challenges are for Indians and their government to address and assured that the US will always be available for support when needed.

“India’s challenges are for Indians and the Indian government to solve. We’re very clear that is not something for us from the outside to teach and preach,” said Garcetti.

“But we’re here to listen and learn, and nobody can deny how close the friendship between India and the US has become in moments of threats that we’ve seen, whether it’s on the border with China,” he added.

Garcetti also expressed the US desire to continue co-developing and co-manufacturing defense technologies with India and stated, “We want to have India be a place where our planes and our ships can come for repairs.”

“We’ve been there not only for recent years but decades past… We know that with deals like the new engines for aircraft, the Predator drones, other things that we’re looking at. We want to continue to co-develop and co-manufacture. We want to have India be a place where our planes and our ships can come for repairs. And through things like the Quad, which brings together multiple countries, we know we face the same challenges,” said Garcetti.

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