Garcetti Highlights US-India Ties and Cricket’s Olympic Dream in Farewell Address

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, in an emotional farewell address at the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) in New Delhi on January 13, highlighted cricket’s growing significance in the United States and reflected on his contributions to the US-India relationship. Addressing diplomats, scholars, and guests at Fulbright House, he underscored how sports diplomacy, particularly cricket, has strengthened bilateral ties.

“Years from now, when nobody remembers anything else that I did as ambassador, Indians will remember that I helped put cricket into the Olympics for LA in 2028,” Garcetti remarked. His term as ambassador concludes this month, but he expressed pride in his efforts to integrate cricket into American sports culture. The ambassador noted the United States’ role in hosting the T20 World Cup and celebrated the Los Angeles Knight Riders’ championship victory, a team owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

Garcetti reflected on the framework that guided his diplomatic mission, emphasizing the “four Ps” that form the cornerstone of US-India relations: preserving peace, pursuing joint prosperity, protecting the planet, and promoting people-to-people connections. “Standing here today is somewhat bittersweet,” he shared, reflecting on his tenure. “In the blink of an eye, this humbling opportunity to serve my beloved United States of America as ambassador to this exceptional country is finally nearing its end.”

Having first visited New Delhi at the age of 14, Garcetti shared how deeply his time as ambassador has moved him. He recounted the joy of meeting people from all across India who shared stories of their transformative experiences in the United States. “One of the best parts of traveling across India was meeting people in every single state who told me about the time they had been in Colorado or California, or the town they went to in Iowa or Maryland, where they met someone who they still counted as a friend, and how that trip changed their lives,” he said.

A key focus of his address was the importance of expanding people-to-people ties. Garcetti emphasized immigration’s vital role in strengthening bilateral relations and highlighted milestones achieved during his tenure. “I’m proud that since becoming ambassador, India has become the number one source of higher education students in the United States. Now, 23 percent of all foreign students studying at American universities are proudly Indian students, enriching our universities and bringing some of the brightest minds into our classrooms,” he said.

Garcetti also reflected on memorable moments from his extensive travels in India. “From meeting with health activists in the jungle villages of Nagaland, laughing with my daughter with first-in-their-family female students at a school on the edge of the desert in Rajasthan, sipping chai with brave soldiers at 17,000 feet in the cold winter of Ladakh, or bathing in the warm waters of Kanyakumari, our time together has touched my heart more deeply than I could have imagined,” he said.

Cultural preservation emerged as another significant theme in Garcetti’s address. He commended the US-India Cultural Property Agreement, a landmark initiative aimed at preventing the illegal trade of cultural artifacts and streamlining the return of looted antiquities. “Since 2016, the United States has returned 578 priceless cultural artifacts to India, with more than half returned during Prime Minister Modi’s official state visit just last year,” he noted.

Highlighting the robust cultural exchanges between the two nations, Garcetti celebrated collaborations in film, art, and sports. “We’re filling theaters in America with Indian movies, and India remains one of the most faithful overseas audiences for Hollywood blockbusters,” he said, emphasizing the shared cultural appreciation that has strengthened ties.

Addressing practical challenges, the ambassador acknowledged the pressing issue of visa processing, a critical aspect of people-to-people connections. “Since becoming ambassador, we’ve increased our visas by more than 60 percent and eliminated wait times for all visa types except for first-time visitor visas, where the wait time is down 75 percent from our peak. Still much further to go, but a great accomplishment,” he stated.

Garcetti concluded his address by calling for further efforts to deepen the US-India relationship. “Because through education and through culture, through sports and through travel, we connect not just two countries, but two people together, two loving people whose hearts have never been more aligned,” he said, leaving the audience with a poignant reminder of the shared values that unite the two nations.

As Garcetti’s tenure comes to an end, his contributions, from championing cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics to fostering educational and cultural exchanges, underscore the growing significance of the US-India partnership in a rapidly changing global landscape.