Good morning, Mission India. Namaste to everyone who’s watching from home.
It is great to be here as the United States Ambassador. I come to this remarkable nation with profound respect and with a clear mission to take the partnership between our two great nations to the next level. This is the intersection of the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy.
My first visit to India was in 2013, and it left an impression on me unlike any other place. I remember visiting some of the incredible places this nation has, of course the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Ranthambore – we even went up to Punjab – and many other places.
The friendly people, the colors, the incredible history, the innovation, and the spirit that I met on that trip over a decade ago, I’ve never forgotten, and I’ve always wanted to come back. And what an incredible way to be back in this incredible nation as your next U.S. Ambassador.
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When President Donald Trump asked me to come here, I was thrilled. I was with the President last week, and as we had dinner right after New Year’s, he recounted his incredible experience visiting India, and also his great 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.
I want to thank President Trump for once again putting his trust and confidence in me. I consider the President a dear friend. America has never had a Commander in Chief like President Trump. When I first got this position, somebody at the White House asked me, “How are you going to keep in touch with the President?” And the interesting thing is – that a lot of people don’t know – that the President has a habit of calling you at two in the morning. And so, with the time difference in New Delhi, it might actually work out pretty well.
The President outworked all of us at the White House, and I hope that we’ll be able to keep up with his pace and his expectations. When President Trump was elected in 2024, he asked me to be the Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel. That meant hiring thousands of individuals across our entire federal government, from U.S. Attorneys to Ambassadors, and every political hire across every department in the United States government, including the State Department. In our first year, we broke every record and filled over 95 percent of those positions. So, in this new year, I once again thank President Donald Trump for putting his trust in me and what is a very important relationship for both of our nations.
I spoke with President Trump just yesterday, and I bring his warm wishes to all the people of India, especially his dear friend, the incredible Prime Minister, His Excellency Prime Minister Modi. As many of you might have heard, the President is quite busy, not only around the world, but also redecorating and renovating Washington, DC. And when I spoke to the President, I shared with him that I’d just driven past the beautiful India Gate. The president has embarked on building a ballroom at the White House, but one of the additional projects that’s on his list is building something similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And no offense to the French, but I think what we have here in Delhi might have even surpassed that.
I’ve traveled all over the world with President Trump, and I can attest that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real. The United States and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by 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. That 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. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow. Remember, India is the world’s largest nation, so it’s not an easy task to get this across the finish line, but we are determined to get there. And while trade is very important for our relationship, we will continue to work closely together on other very important areas, such as security, counterterrorism, energy, technology, education, and health.
I also want to share with you today a new initiative that the United States launched just last month, called Pax Silica. Pax Silica is a U.S.-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. Today, I’m pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month. As the world adopts new technology, it is essential that India and the United States work hand-in-hand from the very start of this initiative.
I thank the people of India for a very warm welcome. You are a resilient people. You are innovative. You are spiritual. I look forward to meeting many of you as I travel across this incredible nation.
To the staff here at the embassy, I’m excited to work with you. You and I have an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine diplomacy. What it can accomplish could be the most consequential global partnership of this century. No partner is more essential than India.
In the months and years ahead, it is my goal as Ambassador to pursue a very ambitious agenda. We will do this as true strategic partners, each bringing strength, respect, and leadership to the table. Thank you and may God bless the enduring friendship between our two nations.
(The speech is available on the US Embassy website @in.usembassy.gov/u-s-ambassador-sergio-gors-arrival-speech-in-new-delhi/)