President Donald Trump attaches great importance to the bilateral relationship between India and the United States, the new Indian ambassador to the country, Harsh V Shringla, has said.
Shringla, who arrived here on January 9, presented his diplomatic credentials to the US president in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday.
Reflective of the growing trust and warmth between India and the US, the new Indian envoy presented his credentials to Trump in less than 50 hours after arriving in Washington.
Such a quick credentials ceremony for a foreign diplomat is rare in the American capital, given that in the past, envoys of other countries, including those from India, have waited for weeks to formally present their diplomatic credentials to the US president.
Diplomatic credentials is a letter that formally appoints a diplomat as the ambassador to another country. The letter is addressed from one head of state to another. It is presented by the ambassador to the receiving head of state in a formal ceremony.
The ceremony further marks the beginning of the official period of ambassadorship.
At a post-credentials ceremony celebration attended by senior officials of the Indian Embassy, the State Department and the White House, Shringla said, "Clearly the president attaches great importance to our bilateral relationship. He referred to his recent telephonic conversation with our prime minister and he said he looks forward to speaking to our prime minister again in the near future."