Washington, D.C, Wednesday, June 19, 2024
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) hosted its VII Annual Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 17. The Summit was the first high-level U.S.-India dialogue post-India’s General Elections and touched on themes of the enduring friendship between the United States and India and elevating the most important strategic partnership of the 21st century.
The Annual Leadership Summit brought together a distinguished cohort of eminent individuals, from policymakers to prominent business leaders, high-ranking political figures, senior officials, and key stakeholders from both countries.
USISPF President and CEO Dr. Mukesh Aghi kicked off proceedings and welcomed everyone for the first in-person USISPF DC summit post the pandemic.
John Chambers, Chairman of USISPF, Chairman Emeritus of Cisco, and Founder and CEO, of JC2 Ventures spoke about collaboration and the future of technology and said “AI will be the most fundamental change in the future. AI will disrupt every business and every country. This is the chance for our countries to come together”.
Mr. Chambers later sat down in conversation with Republican Senators, Steve Daines (R-MT), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Senator Daines echoed the strength of the relationship and a special Montana-India partnership in agriculture and said that the state of “Montana is the number one in pulse crops. So, we are working with the Indian government to reduce tariffs. India is the number one consumer of pulse crops, and Montana is the number one producer. So, there is a natural relationship.”
Senator Sullivan echoed Senator Daines’ message on strengthening the partnership saying the “story of India is under-told. We need to get the story out there. From my visits to India, I can see the tremendous innovation there. The vision for the world’s oldest and world’s largest democracy to do much more strategically together.”
Senior White House Official, Mr. Jon Finer, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor spoke with Tucker Foote, Executive Vice President of Mastercard.
Ms. Neera Tanden, Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden spoke with Ambassador Tim Roemer, the former U.S. envoy to India and USISPF Board Member. In a fireside chat, Ms. Tanden highlighted the importance of the people-to-people connection and the role of the diaspora in shaping the contours of the U.S.-India strategic partnership. She said: “I started my career at the Clinton White House. Back then, there were only a handful of Indian-Americans in the Executive Office of the President. Today, I feel fortunate to be one of the many Indian Americans advising the President”.
Ms. Tanden added: “The values that we share between the United States and India in entrepreneurialism, innovation, and education and the convergence of these values is what allows so many Indians who come to the U.S. and innovate and become leaders in their chosen fields”.
Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, Charge d’Affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., in her address stated: “We need to have our companies working closely on the very areas that we have prioritized. That will determine our success in the coming century. In fields like defense, space, communications, and biotech, our companies must see each other as partners of first choice.”
USISPF honored Mr. Henry R. Kravis, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P (KKR), with its 2024 Global Leadership Award for his unwavering commitment to enhancing the U.S.-India relationship. Under Mr. Kravis’ leadership, KKR has emerged as one of the largest investors in India and has invested over $11 billion over the past two decades across an eclectic mix of sectors, creating thousands of jobs and contributing to the growth of the Indian economy.
“I am thrilled to accept this honor and grateful for the recognition,” said Henry Kravis. “India has long been a key market for KKR due to its impressive growth, dynamic population, and innovative entrepreneurs and businesses community”.
Mr. Kravis was in conversation with USISPF Board Member, Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM, and spoke about why he is bullish on the India growth story: ‘India is a terrific country to do business in. There are a lot of opportunities there with 860 million on the Internet and a lot of innovative entrepreneurs.”
USISPF’s VII Annual Summit took place as the U.S. National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan visited New Delhi for the initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) dialogue and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar and his counterpart, the Indian NSA, Ajit Doval.
USISPF’s Summit was attended by close to 300 people, including USISPF Board Members, members, U.S. Government officials, and Embassy of India staff, as well as fraternity from the media, think tanks, academia, and non-profits.
About the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF):
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is committed to creating the most powerful partnership between the United States and India. As the only independent not-for-profit institution dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-India partnership in Washington, D.C., and in New Delhi, USISPF is the trusted partner for businesses, non-profit organizations, the diaspora, and the governments of India and the United States.
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