EAM S Jaishankar Shares Pics from Trump's Inauguration:

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has posted some happy moments in the recent Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. In very much retrospective manner, Jaishankar firmly termed his experience as a privilege as well stating that it was properly honourable to represent the country in dialoguing such an historicizing event as was the matter of strengthening the India-United States relation considering the contemporary climate of world politics.

The ceremony associated with the beginning of Trump’s presidency was on January 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C, presided over by representatives of states around the world. Jaishankar’s account of the event being shows India’s willingness to ensure that the diplomacy between the United States of America and India remains intermeshed.

A Sunny Documentary Moment for India on the Internationally Enlightened Stage

In a number of photographs posted from the ceremony, Jaishankar recalled how he represented India at one of the most observed transfers of power in the world. The images showcased:

The great Facade of Capitol building where the ceremony was conducted.
Jaishankar in another world attending conferences and meeting other leaders and dignitaries.
A capture of the actual swearing-in ceremony, as a sign of a ‘transfer of power’ in the Government.

Jaishankar captioned the photos, Privileged to represent India at President Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Glad to be part of it and coming back with a stronger realization of value of strong India-US relations.”

The post catered for the rising profile of India diplomatically in the world and its engagement in diplomacy.

The Indian Presence at Trump’s Swearing Ceremony

Characteristic of the fact that both countries are the world’s largest democracy, India was represented at the inauguration ceremony. Jaishankar, who was interacting with the Indian press, was, until recently, the Foreign Secretary of India, a corps that directs foreign policy for the nation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It provided Indian delegations with an opportunity to directly interact with top-most US authorities and top leaders of the global village, establishing the firm and ever-expanding diplomacy between India and the US during Trump’s presidency.

Important foreign policy objectives throughout Trump’s administration

Trade Relations: How to enhance bilateral trade relations between India and the United States.
Defense Cooperation: Increasing the defense cooperation in terms of weapon sales and partnership.
Counterterrorism: Synchronizing the activities for terrorism suppression on international level.
People-to-People Ties: Promoting the activities related to cultural and education exchange between the two nations.

Jaishankar’s presence at the inauguration signing was India’s declaration of active participation towards the progressive achievement of these goals.

The whole process charts out a timeline to a new chapter in India-US relationship.

Image: Donald Trump’s presidency opened a new page in the US-India relations that could be characterized as implementing opportunities and threats. During Trump’s presidency, bilateral ties were characterized by:

Strategic Convergence: Both the countries had congruent goals of combating terrorism, stabilising the Indo-Pacific region and dealing with China’s rise.
Trade Negotiations: However, trade relations were for sometime fluctuating with both countries striving to balance trade and improve cooperation in strategic areas.
Defense Partnerships: The defense collaboration was cemented through signing of more frame working landmark agreements like the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement).

During its tenure, Jaishankar as the Foreign Secretary actively participated in goodwill efforts that led to the kickoff of negotiations of the two nations and ensured the defense of India’s point of view.

Respondents’ Reactions on Jaishankar’s Post on Social Media

Shortly after, Jaishankar posted the message that was met with approval from the audience, which appreciated his attempts to respond to the event with dignity and professionalism.

One user commented: ‘It was great to see India participate on such a momentous occasion. Thank you, Dr. Jaishankar, for your work heading the framework to empower us with an enhanced global outreach.
Another wrote: “Indeed the two nations have had such experience, perhaps such event as this reassures us of essence of diplomacy in the relations between India, US.”

The post also brought issues to do with Indian External Affairs ministry and its relevance in formulation of goals and objectives of the country’s foreign policy.

The Relationship between India and the US

Still, the United States continues to be counted among the largest strategic alliances of India. These are trade, defense, IT and educational sectors to name but a few among the significant sectors that the relationship touches on.

This paper therefore seeks to present an overview of the key accomplishments of the bilateral relations between India and the United States.

Economic Collaboration: The US has been one of India’s biggest trading partners, and according to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India’s export to the US stood at $118. 33 billion while import from US was $1.09 billion in 2021-22.
Defense Cooperation: India has also become a strategic defense ally of the US with an opportunity to possess better defense technologies.
Diaspora Contributions: Indian-Americans have an important role of acting as bridge between the two nations owed to the fact that they are determinant to cultural and economic aspects.
Shared Democratic Values: Two major goals that both countries cherish on the international level relate to democracy support, human rights, and rule of law.

Jaishankar was at Trump’s inauguration to stand for the Indian vision of the need to foster and grow these relations.