Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian Ambassador (designate) to the US, presented his credentials to the US President Donald Trump on Thursday in Washington DC. He is now been accredited as the Indian Ambassador to the US.
President Trump welcomed the Ambassador back to Washington where he had earlier served in different capacities.
The President also recalled his friendship with PM Narendra Modi and his meetings with other Indian leaders. He also acknowledged the upward trajectory of the relations between the two nations.
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The credentials ceremony was held quickly as it is the general practice that incoming Ambassador designates, normally wait for 3-4 months before getting an opportunity to present their credentials. This is due to the fact that the area around Washington DC has many diplomatic establishments.
This is being considered as a sign of the growing relations between the two countries and also the fact that the US President is likely to visit India, sometime this month and the details are being worked out.
An IFS officer of the 1988 batch, he has earlier served as the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and was responsible for the pro-active diplomacy that ensured the two countries remained close, even after the new government won the elections in the island nation. He is also considered to be an old US hand, having served in the US as India’s deputy envoy from 2013-2017, as First Secretary (Political) from 1997-2000 and he also served in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
He is married to Ambassador Reenat Sandhu who is currently India’s envoy to Italy.