HOUSTON: The US and India, as the world's two leading democracies, can provide a balance globally and are the "most essential" countries to ensure peace and prosperity, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said.
Participating in a webinar here on Tuesday, Abbott said his goals were to see interaction and trade between Texas and India to grow further.
The US-India Chamber of Commerce DFW (USICOC) hosted the 'Texas-India Partnership' webinar featuring Abbott, Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Consul General Aseem R Mahajan.
"It's almost endless what we can do working together. We are two leading democracies in the world, and we are on opposite sides of the world. We can provide a balance globally. US and India are two of the most essential countries to ensure global peace and global prosperity," Governor Abbot said.
"One of the highlights of my service as governor was my trip to India to see the relationship between India and Texas in action. One of my goals is to see interaction between Texas and India continue to grow, to see trade between Texas and India continue," he said.
Both Governor Abbott and Ambassador Sandhu exchanged views on strategic partnership and opportunities for trade and investment cooperation. They discussed ongoing opportunities for Texas-India trade in technology, energy, natural gas, and in the medical supply chain.
"India and United States are natural allies, with shared values of democracy enshrined in both our Constitutions. Texas occupies a special place in the US-India partnership," Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu said.
Ambassador Sandhu said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump had upgraded the US-India relationship to a "growing strategic partnership".
Mentioning the changing immigration situation in the US, Sandhu spoke on behalf of Indian students who are studying in the STEM fields at Texas universities. "These kids bring real value, they are the future bridges in our countries and hope they find Texas as a special home and their talents are utilised," he said.
They exchanged views on our strategic partnership and opportunities for trade and investment cooperation. Consul General of India in Houston Aseem R Mahajan noted that, "India and Texas share a deep partnership. We are blessed with a strong Indian-American community here, and Texas ranks as state that is attracting the highest level of Indian investment."
Other members of attended the webinar included Raj Kalyandurg, Chairman USICOC DFW, Ashok Mago, its Founding Chairman, and Neel Gonuguntla, its president.
Panel also included Dallas business leaders Satish Gupta, Anurag Jain, and G Brint Ryan talked about their experiences with Texas-India trade in the energy sector, historic foundation of the Texas-India business relationship and the shared values of Texans and Indians.