Eric Garcetti was officially sworn in as the US Ambassador to India by Vice President Kamala Harris, ending over two years of delay to fill one of Washington's most critical diplomatic position.
Garcetti's daughter Maya held the Hebrew Bible during the swearing-in ceremony on Friday, which was presided by Vice President Harris.
The ceremony was attended by his close family members, including wife Amy Wakeland, father Gil Garcetti, mother Sukey Garcetti and mother-in-law Dee Wakeland. “It feels great. Can’t wait to serve,” Garcetti, 52, said when asked about his new diplomatic assignment. “I’m so honoured the vice president did this," he said.
Ambassador of India to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu congratulated Garcetti. "As he prepares to depart for India, we discussed some immediate priorities in deepening the bilateral partnership, in line with our Leaders’ vision. Look forward to working with Eric," he said.
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The Senate voted 52 to 42 to confirm Garcetti earlier this month after his appointment was stuck for over a year over his name coming up in a sexual abuse scandal. He was first nominated in July 2021.
The United States has not had a full-time envoy in India since early 2021 when the previous US envoy Kenneth I Juster completed his tenure. Until now, Elizabeth Jones was the US head of mission, serving as the Chargé d’Affaires in the absence of a full-time envoy.
Garcetti's nomination was not brought to the Senate floor for a vote during the last Congress as the ruling Democratic Party did not have enough support to get him through. President Biden renominated him to the same position in January this year. Garcetti supporters argued that geopolitical concerns were too important to leave India without an ambassador.
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Biden has sought to bolster economic ties with India as he looks to counter China’s growing influence in the region and shore up support for Ukraine against continued Russian aggression. India has not explicitly condemned Russia’s invasion and has continued to buy cheap gas from Moscow.
Asked when he plans to travel to India, Garcetti said: “Hopefully as soon as I can.” The ceremony in Harris’ office also marked a personal moment between two politicians who ascended the California political world together. Harris and Garcetti’s relationship spans more than 15 years, during which she served as California’s attorney general and later as a US senator for the state, the Los Angeles Times said. He has also spoken about their bond over being mixed race: Harris is of Indian and Jamaican descent and Garcetti is Jewish and Mexican American.
(With inputs from PTI)
