G20 presidency 'fantastic' opportunity for Indian diaspora in US to deepen engagement: Sanjeev Joshipura

Emphasising the friendship between India and the United States, Executive Director of Indiaspora, Sanjeev Joshipura on Wednesday said while the two countries may not become formal allies, their bond as friends remains strong. He highlighted the crucial role of Indian diaspora in US and stated that India's G20 presidency is a 'fantastic' opportunity to strengthen their engagement with India.

"India in the US will never be allies. But we'll always be friends," he said in an interview with CNBC-TV18. "I think India's G20 presidency is a fantastic opportunity for the diaspora to re-up their engagement in India and with India. And it's a two way street. Now, there was a time decades ago when it was more about how diaspora can assist India and that still remains true. But it's also now about what India can bring to the world. So it goes both ways," he said.

"The US-India relationship is the understatement of the year is an important one. And you always want to be cordial to each other when you are having these bilateral meetings, and so forth. So when the two countries are meeting, we don't use the A word, but we use the F word," Joshipura said.

He acknowledged the existence of certain disparities in their geo-strategies but emphasised that the diaspora has consistently weathered such challenges.

"There are various treaty obligations and so forth that the US has in Asia, specifically that India is not a party to and so there will be some differences in the geo-strategy of things. But the relationship...is one which could use a fantastic boost, but doesn't necessarily need a boost," Joshipura said.

"The diaspora is one glue that has been consistent over the years through thick and thin on this relationship...we have today here in the United States, CEOs of companies who are of Indian origin, 7 percent of the medical workforce here, doctors, educators, but the point is the success is leading to positive impact in society."

Pointing out the limited number of US students studying in India, Joshipura also emphasised the need to increase this exchange, promoting mutual understanding and fostering stronger ties between the two nations.