US-India Senate Caucus Leaders Meet Indian Ambassador

Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla (C) with US Senators Democrat Mark R. Warner (L) of Virginia and Republican John Cornyn of Texas, co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus

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Washington, DC – Top US lawmakers dealing with India relations welcomed the newly arrived Indian ambassador to the US on Monday (Jan. 28) and emphasized their support of the relationship between the US and India.

In their meeting with Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla, US Senators Democrat Mark R. Warner of Virginia and Republican John Cornyn of Texas, co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, discussed how to further strengthen the partnership between both countries.

“I appreciate the opportunity to meet Ambassador Shringla to talk about the issues bridging our nations, especially since Virginia is home to one of the largest populations of Indian Americans,” said Senator Warner. “The US and India have many shared economic and strategic interests so I look forward to working with the Ambassador on these matters.”

Echoing the sentiments of Senator Warner, Texas Senator Cornyn said, “India remains one of our most important strategic partners. I’m glad Senator Warner and I were able to meet with the Ambassador to welcome him to his post and discuss ways in which our two countries can continue to work together toward advancing our common interests on issues like trade and global security.”

According to the senators’ offices, the main issues discussed in the meeting included areas of opportunity to deepen the strategic partnership, increasing international exchange programs between the US and India, and the implications of India’s decision to require all payment system providers to store their data exclusively in India.

The Senators brought up the effect of this directive on American payment companies operating in India and stressed how data localization requirements in India create serious trade barriers between the US and India. They also asked the Ambassador to consider commonsense solutions in the technology sector based on open markets and fair competition.

Ambassador Shringla was appointed on December 20, 2018, arrived in the US on January 9, 2019, and was fast tracked to present his credentials to the US President Donald J Trump on January 11 in the Oval Office of the White House.

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Tejinder Singh, Editor, India America Today & White House Correspondent

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