AHMEDABAD, Mar 15 : Consul General of the United States in Mumbai, Mike Hankey, on Friday said the US will work as a partner in India’s endeavour to achieve the status of developed nation by 2047, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Consul General, speaking at an event organised here by the Gujarat chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII), also extended his country’s support to the proposed ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’ announced by Modi last year. “When India looks at being ‘Viksit Bharat’ and aims to get the status of a developed nation, the US is committed to being a partner in every element of that endeavor. You can turn to us to facilitate business, technology and for advanced solutions to the 21st century problems. We will be your partner and we look forward to your success,” said Hankey in his speech. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, an initiative announced by PM Modi during the G20 summit last year, will link India with Europe through the Middle East, connecting countries that “share values and economic potential,” the envoy said. “The US supports this. We are working closely with partners right here in Gujarat to see how we build it up,” he added. The US is also working closely with India in the defence sector, and this relationship is based on “keeping the world peaceful,” the diplomat said. “The United States and India have reached a level that we have never seen before. And frankly a level that we haven’t done with any other country,” Hankey said, noting that last year the US authorized, for the first time, “one of the most advanced jet engines” to be built for fighter jets in India in collaboration with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. “In the space of environment, we are collaborating and putting hundreds of millions of dollars for a clean energy transition that can deliver the power that India needs to grow in a sustainable and an inclusive way,” he added. The US is India’s number one trading partner with USD 191 billion annual trade, and nearly 1.65 lakh new students from India arrived in the US in 2023, Hankey said. The outcome of the upcoming Presidential elections in the US and general elections in India will not change the equation between the two countries, he said. “We both come from countries that share the first phrase of our constitution – We the people….Both US and India as well as many other countries have elections this year. And regardless of the outcomes of these elections, we are going to see a continued focus on building that world that we see — it is free, fair, prosperous and rules-bound,” the envoy added. (PTI)
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