Former Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu joins USISPF as board advisor and chairman of Geopolitical Institute

New Delhi [India], July 17 : Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, veteran diplomat of nearly four decades and former Indian envoy to Washington, has joined the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) as Advisor to the Board and Chairman of the USISPF Geopolitical Institute, according to an official release.

In this new role, Ambassador Sandhu will lend his diplomatic acumen 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, and UAE) initiatives, as per the release.

Ambassador Sandhu had worked closely with USISPF during his four-year tenure in Washington before retiring from his 35-year diplomatic career in February 2024, the release noted. A key figure in strengthening U.S.-India relations, he served four stints in the United States, three of them in Washington, D.C.

Commenting on his appointment, Ambassador Sandhu said he was delighted to join USISPF as Chairman of its Geopolitical Institute. He added that the India-US relationship had evolved into a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, underpinned by shared values and vibrant people-to-people ties. He also acknowledged USISPF's role, under the leadership of Mukesh Aghi, in forging deeper connections between governments, industry, academia, and innovators in both countries, according to the release.

Under Ambassador Sandhu's diplomatic stewardship, India and the United States witnessed deep collaboration across sectors like energy, critical and emerging technology, education, space, and defense. As per the release, notable milestones during his tenure included Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic state visit to the U.S. in June 2023, President Joe Biden's participation in the G20 summit in New Delhi, and President Donald Trump's first visit to India in February 2020.

Ambassador Sandhu also previously served in Washington as Deputy Chief of Mission to then-Ambassador S. Jaishankar. Together, they helped shape the early chapters of Prime Minister Modi's engagement with the U.S., including the iconic Madison Square Garden address in 2014, the release added.

"The most important strategic partnership of the 21st century, one between Washington and New Delhi, requires the art of deft diplomacy and sagacious statecraft," said Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of USISPF. He praised Ambassador Sandhu's deep understanding of U.S.-India relations, from his early work on Capitol Hill during the Clinton-era sanctions to his recent diplomatic efforts across a wide range of sectors, as per the release.

With the Indo-Pacific as a key priority, Ambassador Sandhu is expected to bolster USISPF's work in the Quad, including defense cooperation, healthcare partnerships, and critical technologies. The release also highlighted his anticipated contributions toward enhancing infrastructure, supply chains, and economic corridors through IMEC, and continued engagement with the I2U2 grouping, which came into being during his tenure as Ambassador in Washington.

As per the release, Ambassador Sandhu also played a key role in deepening people-to-people ties with the diaspora, which USISPF described as the "secret sauce" of the bilateral relationship.

The USISPF concluded the release by welcoming Ambassador Sandhu to his new role and expressing enthusiasm about working with him to further strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership.

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