Updated July 11th, 2021 at 16:16 IST
US President Joe Biden nomimates LA Mayor Eric Garcetti as US Ambassador to India
US President Joe Biden has nominated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as US ambassador to India, announced the White House on Friday.
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US President Joe Biden has chosen Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as his nominee for ambassador to India, announced the White House on Friday, July 9. Garcetti, who became the mayor in 2013, has led the city through many ups and downs, including development, a worsening homelessness crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House praises Garcetti
The White House statement praised Garcetti’s role as mayor "The busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the country, and one of the busiest airports in the world,” as well as his role in Los Angeles’s winning bid for the 2028 Olympic Games. Garcetti is the son of former Dist Atty Gil Garcetti. The Los Angeles mayor also shares a great bond with Joe Biden. He has also worked as an intelligent officer in the US Navy Reserves for 12 years.
Today, the President announced that I am his nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to India. I am honored to accept his nomination to serve in this role.
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) July 9, 2021
Garcetti took to the microblogging platform and shared about the different roles he has been playing in the life he said I have committed my life to service — as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant, and if confirmed next, as an ambassador,” he said. “Part of that commitment means that when your nation calls, you answer that call."
I have committed my life to service –– as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant, and if confirmed, next as an ambassador. Part of that commitment means that when your nation calls, you answer that call.
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) July 9, 2021
"Garcetti, in a series of tweets, said that he will show the same energy, commitment, and love for this city in his new job.
And should I be confirmed, I’ll bring this same energy, commitment, and love for this city to my new role and will forge partnerships and connections that will help strengthen Los Angeles’ place on the world stage.
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) July 9, 2021
The former mayor has traveled several times to India, most recently as a council member. In college, he spent a year studying Hindi and Urdu — two of the dozens of languages spoken in the country — and during at least one visit stayed at the ambassador’s residence.
Notably, his nomination for India Ambassador sets the stage for the city council to take up the question of who might take up his role and complete the remainder of his term. Meanwhile, a large number of people in Los Angelos are unhappy to hear of Garcetti’s early departure. Apart from choosing Gracitte for ambassador to India, Joe Biden has selected Denise Campbell Bauer to be ambassador to France and the Principality of Monaco. The US president has picked Peter D Haas for ambassador to Bangladesh, while Bernadette Meehan is his choice for envoy to Chile.
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Published July 11th, 2021 at 16:20 IST
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