Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor. (File Photo)
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is President Joe Biden&rsquo;s choice for the&nbsp; US ambassador&rsquo;s post in New Delhi, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday if&nbsp; confirmed for the job he would endeavour to advance the ambitious bilateral partnership between the US and India &ldquo;united by a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.&quot;</p>
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In his statement to the Senators, Garcetti said that if confirmed, he would double-down on US &ldquo;efforts to strengthen India&#39;s capacity to secure its borders, defend its sovereignty, and deter aggression – through information sharing, counterterrorism coordination.&quot;</p>
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Garcetti informed the committee about his visits to India as a teenager with his&nbsp; parents,&nbsp; and then again in 1990 as a guest of Ambassador William Clark Jr., whose son was Garcetti&#39;s college roommate. He said his trip inspired him to study Hindi and Urdu in college, as well as Indian and Cultural Religious History.</p>
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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee sees India as a key partner in its effort to push back against China&#39;s expanding power and influence.</p>
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&quot;Few nations are more vital to the future of American security and prosperity than India,&quot; Garcetti said.</p>
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&quot;Even with a pandemic, our bilateral trade this year is expected to break a record, and if confirmed, I intend to champion an ambitious economic partnership with India to reduce market barriers, bolster free trade and generate good, middle-class American jobs,&quot; Garcetti added.</p>
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Several senators asked Garcetti how he would work to address the India-Russia relationship, as Russia still accounts for over two-thirds of the military equipment used by India&rsquo;s defence forces.</p>
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Some Senators also raised the issue of India acquiring the S-400 missile defence systems&nbsp; from Russia, despite the threat of Countering America&#39;s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions</p>
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Garcetti replied: &quot;If confirmed I would advocate following the continued diversification of India&#39;s weapon system, the threats to our own weapon systems if that diversification doesn&#39;t occur, because we have to protect our data and our systems and work towards really growing this Major Defence Partnership.&quot;</p>
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<strong>Also read:</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/in-indonesia-biden-patches-up-tattered-relations-promises-better-security-to-counter-china-135214.html">In Indonesia, Biden patches up tattered relations and promises better security to counter China</a></p>
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