India, US oldest & largest democracies in the world: US envoy

The United States (US) ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster on Thursday tagged India and US as the "oldest" and "largest" democracies in the world.

The US Embassy in India on Thursday hosted an event marking the 242nd Independence Day celebrations of the United States, which was on July 4.

Minister of State (MoS) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri was the chief guest at the event.

"One of the remarkable aspects of living in India is that you begin to appreciate this country's ancient roots. India's history is measured in centuries rather than years. In fact, you soon develop a sense of timelessness. So, celebrating July 4 and August 2 seems perfectly natural to those of us at the US Embassy and we feel you will feel that way as well. This is a very special event for the US embassy and we are honoured that you are here to share it with us," Juster said.

"This is my first Independence celebration day as the US Ambassador to India. I can say on behalf of all of my colleagues and perhaps all of those in a diplomatic community that there is a feeling of great pride when you celebrate your national day while living in another country. What makes this particularly special for Americans living in India is that these two countries are the oldest and largest democracies in the world. We each are the essence of the diverse multicultural pluralistic societies.

We share the values of individual freedom and economic opportunity," he added.

The US envoy further went on to highlight more similarities between the two nations and invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's words, "We (India and US) are natural allies."

"And not many people may know this, but our two constitutions begin with the same three inspiring words, 'We the people.' The crucial importance of these words helps form the foundation of cooperation between India and US," he continued.

"There are now millions of Indian-Americans, who have made incredible contribution to American society, who celebrate Independence Day on July 4 and to then exhibit the same pride six weeks later on August 15. That says it all. So whether you are American, Indian, Indian-American, you are a friend of US mission in India," Juster added.

--ANI