‘Real friends can disagree, but always resolve differences’: Sergio Gor takes charge as US Ambassador to India, says next call on trade deal tomorrow

Pax Silica is a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain, from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI, development, and logistics. Nations that joined last month include Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Israel.

Gor said, “Today, I’m pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month.”

Days after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick blamed India for dragging its feet on the India-US trade deal, Gor said, “The United States and India are bound not just by shared interest, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels. Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences”.

“In the end, last week, our great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, powerfully stated that this year will be a year of reciprocity. We are raising the standard for diplomacy itself, which means fair trade, mutual respect and shared security. Many of you have asked me for an update on the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Both sides continue to actively engage.”

He said that he has “come to this remarkable nation with profound respect” and with a “mission to take the partnership between our two great nations to the next level”.

He recalled that he first visited India in 2013, when he went to Jaipur and Ranthambore in Rajasthan, and Punjab, among other places, which left an impression on him. “When President Trump asked me to come here, I was thrilled,” he said.

He said that he met Trump last week, when the US President recounted his experience visiting India in February 2020, and his “friendship with the great Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister Modi”. “I also hope that the President will be visiting us soon, hopefully in the next year or two,” he said.