Has Veteran Diplomat Taranjit Sandhu Joined the US-India Strategic Forum?

New Delhi, July 17 (NationPress) Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a distinguished diplomat and former Ambassador of India to the United States, has taken on a pivotal role at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) as an Advisor to the Board. He will also serve as the Chairman of the USISPF Geopolitical Institute.

In this new capacity, Ambassador Sandhu will utilize his diplomatic expertise to steer USISPF's strategic initiatives related to the India-Middle-East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the Indo-Pacific Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), and the I2U2 (comprising India, Israel, the USA, and the UAE).

Throughout his tenure in Washington, the experienced diplomat significantly contributed to enhancing India-US relations and had previously collaborated closely with USISPF before concluding his 35-year diplomatic career in February 2024.

"I am thrilled to join the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum as the Chairman of its Geopolitical Institute. Over the past three decades, I have been fortunate to witness the evolution of the India-US relationship into a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, grounded in shared values and mutual interests, enriched by the vibrant people-to-people connections between our nations," Sandhu remarked, emphasizing that Prime Minister Modi and President Trump have rejuvenated this partnership through the India-US COMPACT, which prioritizes key sectors such as defense, technology, energy, and trade.

He noted that USISPF has been instrumental in fostering closer bonds among the governments, industries, innovators, and academia of both countries.

With a strong focus on the Indo-Pacific, Ambassador Sandhu is expected to enhance USISPF's initiatives in the Quad, where the four democracies—India, the United States, Japan, and Australia—are fortifying defense collaborations, vaccine diplomacy in healthcare, energy partnerships, and advancements in critical and emerging technologies.

The core objectives will also include reinforcing infrastructure, supply chains, and economic corridors through the IMEC and I2U2, both of which were established during Ambassador Sandhu’s time in Washington.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office over a decade ago, India and the United States have engaged in profound cooperation across sectors such as energy, critical and emerging technologies, education, space, and defense.

"The most significant strategic partnership of the 21st century, that between Washington and New Delhi, necessitates the art of skilled diplomacy and astute statecraft. New Delhi has consistently dispatched its finest diplomats to Washington, yet few possess the depth of understanding regarding the nuances of US-India relations as Ambassador Sandhu, who, during his initial tenure in Washington, as First Secretary (Political), forged crucial connections on Capitol Hill with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers during a challenging period of sanctions from the Clinton Administration," stated Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of USISPF, a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-partisan organization with offices in Washington and New Delhi.