US ambassador to India says goodbye to Mumbai with heart-felt speech

The terrace of lsquoThe Chambersrsquo at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Colaba was a picturesque backdrop for US Ambassador to India Eric Garcettis talkmdashrsquoPeace and the role of the USIndia defence and security partnershiprsquo Garcettis tenure concludes in India this month The Gateway of India stood like an imposing sentinel in the background and Thursdays late morning sunbeams glanced off the sea water Garcetti began ldquoIndia is a place that touches my heart In Mumbai one can see the past reflect on the present and get a glimpse of the futurerdquoFor humanityThe ambassador referenced the late former US president Jimmy Carter and his ties to India as he said ldquoThis is not just any other day but a National Day of Mourning in the USArdquo Carter was honoured at a State funeral in Washington on Thursday Garcetti recalled ldquoOne of Carters famous service to humanity projects was volunteering with lsquoHabitat for Humanityrsquordquo Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organisation with a vision of a world where everyone has a place to livePeople matterOf the Taj Mahal Palace hotel Garcetti stated ldquoThis the Taj is sacred ground This is an iconic hotel rich with history It has immense significance We recently marked 16 years of the 2611 terror attacks in Mumbai This was one of the places where we also witnessed the bravery of this countryrdquoLooking beyond Mumbai Garcetti said that India and the US ldquoare two great nations that know they have a responsibility that goes beyond their borders We take care of our own whether it be through vaccines international trade but we think of the world toordquo The crux of Garcettis speech was peace with him stressing ldquoPeace is not just military It is also about peopletopeople contact and understandingrdquoDefence tiesHaving said that Garcetti did touch upon the USIndia defence partnership with ldquohellipdeveloping weapons together and the fact that today we are not just selling systems to India we are making systems lsquowithrsquo India At one meeting with President Joe Biden and PM Narendra Modi one statement that was made stuck with me It was lsquoThe next 10 years will change how we fight wars and maintain peace more than the last 100 years haversquordquoThis underscored Garcettis point that it is technology and people that make a partnership not just one factor Robust military partnerships between both nations underlined the peopletopeople relationship He added ldquoWe are the two largest democracies in the world and have allegiance to certain shared values It is not about might is right but right is mightrdquoTerrorismThe ambassador highlighted combating ills like the drug trade trafficking and call centre scams together and facing the threat of terrorism including on the Red Sea Garcetti spoke about terror groups who operate beyond borders deradicalisation through reaching out to communities on the periphery and how peace is linked to prosperity One example of partnership in combating terrorism Garcetti said was the Tahawwur Rana case In August 2024 a US court approved sending the 2611 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana to India under the IndiaUS extradition treaty India is speeding up the process of bringing him to face trialEconomic growthWhen Garcetti spoke about how peace is linked to prosperity he highlighted the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor IMECmdasha planned economic corridor to bolster economic development by fostering connectivity and economic integration between Asia the Persian Gulf and Europe He reminded that peace ldquois a daily exerciserdquo at the end as he signed off stating ldquoAt the core India and US share one heartrdquoPigeons sailed into view in the distance around the Gateway of India as an interaction session began the birds flying high symbolising that challenges and differences may crop up in this partnership but the resilient relationship will soar to heights