The United States and India can build on some of the progress made by the Trump administration, US Senator Mark Warner said on Friday, noting that Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to have a good personal relationship. Warner spoke on the last day of the 2020 Hindustan Times Leadership Summit to Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of the United States-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
The Biden administration, he said, will be open to advancing ties with India, especially in the tech sector and in the fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). “I think we can build on some of the progress made by the Trump administration (with India),” Warner said of how President-elect Joe Biden’s team would take it forward.
Warner said that Biden’s team would be very diverse. “We think about Native American relations, we have the first Indian American vice president,” he said. “The world realizes that the people who entered the Biden administration have been multinationals,” Warner added.
Warner, a Democrat who co-chairs the Indian Senate Caucus, has in the past raised concerns about restrictions in Kashmir and called for their withdrawal. “I think the Indian government, at times, has not been that advanced in defending the case, not just in the United States but globally over Kashmir,” Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia, said Friday.
Warner, who is a staunch supporter of the close ties between the United States and India and moved many critical legislation promoting relations and asked the administration for crucial relief and help when needed, also commented on Kashmir in October.
“While I understand that India has legitimate security concerns, I am concerned about its restrictions on communications and movement within Jammu and Kashmir,” Warner tweeted in October. “I hope that India abides by its democratic principles by allowing freedom of the press, information and political participation,” he added.
The United States and India can build on some of the progress made by the Trump administration, Warner said, noting that Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to have a good personal relationship.
Warner spoke about Trump’s refusal to admit defeat in the US election, saying he was optimistic but not sure what Donald Trump would do. “There is virtually no one in the White House or my Republican colleague in the Senate who believes that he (Donald Trump) is going to overturn the election result,” Warner said.
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