The Indo-US relationship will be based on technology more than ever before in the years to come in this era of AI, EVs, space and drones, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.
The relationship will have a much bigger space component because the space domain is just beginning to open up, he said as he opened the US Consulate in Bengaluru along with outgoing US Ambassador Eric Garcetti.
Mr Jaishankar’s comments came on the eve of his visit to the US to represent India at the inauguration of Mr Donald Trump as America’s 47th president. He also announced that India will soon be opening its consulate in Los Angeles.
“Bengaluru is such an important place, it was for me an imperative that there is a permanent resident presence of American diplomats this time. It has been something long in waiting. I told him (US Ambassador) you get Bengaluru done and I’ll get you Los Angeles done, which is his hometown. So we will be opening our consulate in Los Angeles also. A consulate serves many purposes. A big part of it is to facilitate travel,” the EAM said. He highlighted several aspects of the India-US ties and said that the opening of the consulate was long due.
“Today it is within our grasp, within the realm of possibility, that we realise the potential of India-US relations. It is important that Bengaluru too, realise its potential in the relationship. As a country, today we are encouraging the opening of more embassies in the capital. It’s part of our deeper engagement with the world. But along with that, we are also encouraging more embassies to open consulates. I hope that there will be more occasions where more countries will open more consulates in Bengaluru. It would serve India’s interests, Karnataka’s interests and Bengaluru’s interests better”, the minister said.
Speaking about the India-US ties, Jaishankar remarked that defence is a crucial area of cooperation. Two decades ago, there were virtually no American weapons in the Indian inventory and very little defence collaboration. ”Today we fly the C17s, the C130s, the Chinooks, the Apaches,” he remarked.
He also highlighted the importance of the education and research sector between the two countries. “I hope to see collaborative campuses, exchange of students and a stronger American education presence in this region. Today, the formal opening of this consulate is one more sign that we are overcoming the hesitations of history,” he added.