India Ambassador Kwatra Reaffirms Strong US Ties at Capitol Hill Summit

Ambassador Kwatra says India-US ties remain strong

Washington, May 19

Addressing the Capitol Hill Summit 2026 organised by the US-India Friendship Council, Kwatra said many perceptions about tensions in the relationship were "not informed by the actual facts on the ground".

"We are natural partners not because of geography or compulsions of geography, but because of our shared values," Kwatra said, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the US Congress.

The ambassador said every US administration over the past two decades had built upon the achievements of its predecessor in strengthening ties with India.

"If you look at the thread of the relationship over the previous decades and through the successive administrations, you will find that each administration has tried, sought and successfully built on the achievements of the previous administration," he said.

Kwatra pointed to India's economic transformation since 2014 as a major driver of expanding engagement with Washington.

"One of the drivers, I must point out, is a set of transformational journeys that are currently taking place in India," he said.

Highlighting economic ties, Kwatra noted that India and the US had set a target of increasing bilateral trade from about $220 billion annually to $500 billion by 2030.

He described defence and security cooperation as one of the fastest-growing pillars of the partnership, citing operational coordination and renewed long-term defence frameworks between the two countries.

"Today, India is the largest user of a couple of American platforms outside the US," he said.

Kwatra also highlighted progress in semiconductors, critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation, saying India's recently passed legislation in the civil nuclear sector had "unlocked" opportunities for private sector collaboration.

On technology cooperation, he pointed to major American investments in India's semiconductor and electronics sectors, including projects involving Micron and other US companies.

The ambassador also strongly defended India's intellectual property protections during a brief question-and-answer session following his remarks.

"There are about 2,000 global capability centres in India, roughly half of them are actually of the US companies," Kwatra said in response to a question on patent and trademark protection. "That gives you a sense of patent, trademark protection and the IP protection which is there in India."

Responding to another audience question about educational cooperation, Kwatra said India was moving towards creating institutions of "global excellence" capable of attracting international students and scholars.

"India is definitely on a path to build institutions of global excellence when it comes to the field of education," he said.

Kwatra described the Indian diaspora in the United States as a "foundational anchor" of the bilateral partnership and credited Indian Americans with helping deepen political, economic and cultural ties between the two democracies.

The summit brought together lawmakers, diplomats, policy experts and business leaders at a time when trade disputes, visa restrictions and geopolitical shifts have prompted renewed debate over the future direction of the US-India relationship.

— IANS