New Delhi: Veteran diplomat and former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has joined the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) as Advisor to the Board and will serve as Chairman of the USISPF Geopolitical Institute.

In this role, Ambassador Sandhu will leverage his diplomatic expertise to guide USISPF’s strategic engagements on the India-Middle-East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the Indo-Pacific Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), and the I2U2 (India, Israel, USA, UAE) initiatives.

During his tenure in Washington, Sandhu played a key role in strengthening India-US relations and closely collaborated with USISPF before retiring after 35 years of diplomatic service in February 2024.

“I am delighted to join USISPF as Chairman of its Geopolitical Institute. I have followed the India-US story for over three decades. The relationship has evolved into a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, driven by shared values and people-to-people ties,” said Sandhu, highlighting the renewed vigour brought by Prime Minister Modi and President Trump through the India-US COMPACT, focusing on defence, technology, energy, and trade.

He noted USISPF’s important role in fostering closer ties among governments, industry, innovators, and academia of both countries. With the Indo-Pacific a priority, Sandhu will support USISPF’s work in the Quad, as India, the US, Japan, and Australia enhance cooperation in defence, vaccine diplomacy, energy, and emerging technology.

His focus will also include strengthening infrastructure, supply chains, and economic corridors via IMEC and I2U2, initiatives launched during his Washington tenure. India and the US have deepened collaboration in energy, critical technologies, education, space, and defence since Prime Minister Modi assumed office 11 years ago.

“The most important strategic partnership of the 21st century, between Washington and New Delhi, requires deft diplomacy and sagacious statecraft. Ambassador Sandhu, with extensive experience in US-India relations, is uniquely suited for this role,” said Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of USISPF.