JOIN USThe outgoing US envoy to India, Richard Verma, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bid farewell as his tenure came to an end on Friday with the change of administration in Washington DC.
“We spoke about a range of issues, and the substantial progress we have made in the US-India relationship over the past two years,” Verma said after meeting the prime minister.
“We reflected on the prime minister’s address to a joint session of Congress, president (Barack) Obama’s visit to India as chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations, and agreed that the US-India relationship is stronger than ever. I thanked the prime minister for his leadership and vision and said a personal farewell,” said Verma.
Since Verma was a political appointee, his tenure as US ambassador to India ended with Obama leaving the White House.
Countries brought close
“My own story is but one example of the countless journeys that have brought our countries so close. The son of a teacher from Jalandhar (Punjab) who travelled to the United States with little more than a certainty that America would welcome him, I was nurtured by American open-heartedness, served in its military, and educated in its traditions of opportunity for all,” Verma said.
“My mother, a first-generation immigrant, spoke with an accent, wore Indian clothes, cooked Indian food, and retained her religious and cultural traditions,” said Verma.