WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2021) US President Joe Biden has selected the long-serving Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, as his first ambassador to India, the White House announced on Friday.
"Eric M. Garcetti [is the] Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of India," the White House said in a statement. "Garcetti has been the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles since 2013, following 12 years as a member of the City Council, including six as Council President."
As Mayor of Los Angeles, Garcetti oversaw the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the United States and one of the busiest airports in the world, the White House noted.
"During 12 years as an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy Reserve Component, Garcetti served under the Commander, US Pacific Fleet and the Defense Intelligence Agency, retiring in 2017 as a Lieutenant.� A Rhodes Scholar, he studied at Queen's College, Oxford," the statement said.
Garcetti co-founded Climate Mayors and led more than 400 US mayors to adopt the Paris Climate Agreement.�He is the current Chair of C40 Cities - a network of 97 of the world's biggest cities taking climate action and has led the organization's engagement and expansion in India as well, the White House said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would need to vacate his posts to take up the diplomatic role in New Delhi.
