Trump’s India envoy offers hope amid a strained relationship
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Mr Sergio Gor said the trade negotiations were continuing and that the two sides were expected to have another meeting on Jan 13.
PHOTO: AFP
Mujib Mashal
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NEW DELHI – Mr Sergio Gor, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, began his role as the US ambassador to India
“Real friends can disagree but always resolve their differences in the end,” he said in a speech to hundreds of embassy staff members, emphasising Mr Trump’s “great friendship” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Such sentiments may have rung hollow to Indian officials, who in recent months, have been trying to rebuild the bilateral relationship after a series of blows by Mr Trump that has left them confused about US objectives.
Mr Modi, who enjoyed a close bond with Mr Trump
India’s diplomats have struggled to find a working relationship with the new US administration, and negotiations over a bilateral trade deal that could bring New Delhi some relief have carried on without a resolution in sight.
In an upbeat speech, his first since arriving in New Delhi, Mr Gor said the trade negotiations were continuing and that the two sides were expected to have another meeting on Jan 13.
He said India would be invited to join Pax Silica, a US initiative to build supply chains for artificial intelligence and other advanced technology, and described the countries’ ties as “the most consequential global partnership of this century”.
Mr Gor, 39, previously served as Mr Trump’s head of presidential personnel appointments. Before that, he helped lead a publishing venture that produced Mr Trump’s books. Mr Trump has described him as a “great friend who has been at my side for many years” – a bond that Mr Gor emphasised on Jan 11.
His closeness to Mr Trump could help New Delhi troubleshoot the relationship at a time when it is struggling to get its message to the president’s inner circle.
But Mr Gor also comes with complications that have made Indian officials cautious: He has an additional role as a special envoy to South and Central Asia, which includes India’s rival Pakistan. In the minds of many in New Delhi, it couples the countries together when Indian officials had worked hard to shed such an association. NYTIMES
