US second lady Usha Vance says India-US ties ‘very personal'
United States second lady Usha Vance termed the India-US relationship as one that is "very personal" for her, adding that this is a time of "great opportunity" for ties between the two nations, whose relationship has "ebbed and flowed at times". She said this during a chat at the eighth edition of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit.
"It is a very personal relationship because I have family members who are in India, and I have many family members here in the United States, and I did grow up visiting India and visiting those family members," said Vance. She also said that this relationship has always been very important. The event was attended by prominent government, business and community leaders from India and the US.
Responding to a question about her perspective on the relationship between India and the US, she said that this is a time of great opportunities, and if her husband were "here", he would say the same thing. She also talked about the Indian-American population having great opportunities and doing great things. She said that this relationship between India and the US has 'ebbed and flowed at times.' The fireside chat was conducted by USISPF chairman and JC2 Ventures founder and CEO, John Chambers.
Vance recalled that when the Vice president JD Vance, herself and their three children visited India recently, she was surprised by the number of people who came up to her to say how much they love the US. They told her 'how they visited family, how they visited just for pleasure, that they were hoping for a close relationship looking forward.'
USISPF is an independent not-for-profit institution focused on strengthening the US-India partnership. At the summit, USISPF also presented the 2025 Global Leadership Awards to IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and Hitachi Executive Chairman Toshiaki Higashihara "for their outstanding contributions in strengthening the US-India-Japan economic partnership."
(With PTI Inputs)
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