Amid COVID-19 challenges, historic milestones set in India-US ties: Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu

Amid COVID-19 challenges, historic milestones set in India-US ties: Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, there have been some historic milestones in the India-US relationship, New Delhi’s top envoy here said.

"Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, there have been some historic milestones. We saw Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s landmark visit to the US in September for the in-person leader-level Summit with President (Joe) Biden, and the first in-person Quad Summit," Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu said in his address to the 5th edition of the India-US Forum.

This was preceded by the first ever leader-level Quad Virtual Summit, in March. The joint statements issued, after each of these summits, captured the depth and breadth of this bilateral engagement, he said.

In 2021, Sandhu said the US administration, Congress, industry, diaspora, and the American people at large came out to support India, when the COVID-19 second wave hit India in the summer.

President Biden spoke to Prime Minister Modi, underlining that the US stands shoulder to shoulder with India, and recalled how India supported the US when the surge happened in the US last year.



"The overwhelming support received by us, from all across the US is a testament to close bonds that we share. Just before the second wave hit