Picture : Twitter/ ANI
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favour of former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to become ambassador of India, sending the nomination to the full Senate for a vote, reported Fox News.
As per ANI, The panel approved the nomination by a vote of 13-8 on Wednesday, with Republican Senators Todd Young and Bill Hagerty joining all of the committee’s Democrats in voting in favor of Garcetti.
“We did see the action on the part of the Senate today. We heartily applaud that. US needs a confirmed Ambassador in India. Our team on the ground, incl Charge d’ Affaires, who have served in the place of an ambassador, have done extraordinary work,” said US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.
“It would be in the interests of both of our people to have a confirmed Ambassador in place. We hope that the mayor and soon-to-be Ambassador Eric Garcetti is able to take up that post before long,” added Price.
He said that there is no other country around the world that would put itself in a position to have a vacancy open in a strategically important and valuable place like India for 2-plus years.
“Now, we certainly hope that the action that the Senate took today foretells additional action. US needs a confirmed Ambassador in India… There is no other country around the world that would put itself in a position to have a vacancy open in a strategically important & valuable place like India for two-plus years,” added Price.
US President Joe Biden first nominated Garcetti to become ambassador to India in July 2021, and the Foreign Relations Committee initially signed off on him in January 2022.
