Eric Garcetti presents credentials to President Murmu, takes over as US ambassador

He will lead the US Embassy in New Delhi in laying the groundwork for PM Narendra Modi’s official state visit to Washington in June

President Droupadi Murmu has accepted the credentials of the new envoy of the United States to India, Eric Garcetti, on Thursday. The new envoys of Monaco and Qatar, Didier Gamerdinger and Mohammed Hassan Jabir Al-Jabir, also presented credentials to the president.

Garcetti officially took over as the new US ambassador to India after presenting his credentials to Murmu. “The #USIndia partnership is vital, strong, and filled with opportunity. The bond between our countries and peoples runs deep. Proud to be at the helm of the US Mission to India advancing #USIndiaTogether!” Garcetti posted on Twitter after the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

He will lead the US Embassy in New Delhi in laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to Washington DC on June 22 and American President Joe Biden’s visit to New Delhi for the G20 summit on September 9 and 10.

He is likely to visit Ahmedabad and Mumbai soon.

Also Read | Envoys of US, Qatar, Monaco present credentials to President Murmu

The US Embassy in New Delhi has been headed by acting envoys over the past two years – ever since the term of Kenneth L Juster as the American Ambassador to India concluded in January 2021 with the end of the presidency of Donald Trump.

Biden had first nominated Garcetti, then the Mayor of Los Angeles, as the next US ambassador to India on July 9, 2021.

Garcetti, however, could not take up his assignment in New Delhi as the US Senate had not confirmed his nomination. He had been accused of being aware of the alleged sexual misconduct of his top aide Jacobs. The then Mayor of Los Angeles had denied the allegation persistently during a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination in December 2021. But a whistle-blower, Naomi Seligman, who had earlier worked as the communications director at the office of the Mayor of Los Angeles, had urged the US Senate officials to examine his claims further. This had prompted Republican Senator Chuck Grassley to get his office to conduct a probe and produce a report. The report had concluded that Garcetti was likely aware of the alleged misconduct by Jacobs.

The Biden Administration, however, renominated Garcetti for the post of the US ambassador to India in January this year. The Senate – the upper chamber of the American Congress – in March voted 52 to 42 to finally confirm his appointment to helm of the US Embassy in New Delhi.