Trump admin 'very focussed' on further cementing Indo-US ties: Kushner

Batting for strong Indo-US ties, President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, has said there are very few countries like India that possess the potential for growth and the administration was "very focussed" on further cementing the bilateral strategic ties.

Kushner, 38, who is also senior adviser to President Trump, is considered one of the most influential and powerful individuals in the White House and was addressing the Second Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum.

Listing out the various steps being taken by President Trump to make America "more competitive globally", he said: "Part of that comes with obviously the relationship with India, where you have a fast-growing economy. You have an amazingly, educated population there and then a lot of people who share a lot of similar values with this country."

"Forums like this are critically important because when we think about the world as it is today, there are very few countries like India that possess the potential for growth in what the future strategic relationship can be," he said.

Whether it's trade and commerce, or national security, there are so many strategic elements of this relationship, Kushner said, adding that a lot of people in the administration at the President's direction have been "very, very focused" on India-US ties.

Kushner also presented the USISPF's 2019 Global Excellence Award to Mastercard CEO and President, Ajay Banga. The award to Wipro Chairman, Azim Premji was presented in his absentia.

Later in a fire-side chat with Banga, Kushner said that he is the manager of the immigration project of President Trump.

Responding to a question, Kushner said that Trump is not anti-immigrant.

"Just to be very clear, the president is very pro-immigrant. He's anti-illegal immigration and what he wants to do is make America the land of opportunity," wherein people with merit can figure out the ways to go to the United States, he said.

"We want to make it a much more clean system, a much more streamlined system, much more fair system and one where most people will have the opportunity to try to become American citizens," Kushner said. 

"It's the greatest privilege in the world to be an American citizen and that's something that we should make available to people who really want it badly and who want to earn it," the top presidential advisor said.

"How's this White House thing turning out for you," Banga asked Kushner at the start of the fire-side chat.

"I have to say it's something that I never expected in my life that I would have the privilege of to serve the country at this capacity. For us it's an absolute honour working for this president and having the opportunity to push forward the change that he's pushing for this country and for the world has been absolutely tremendous," Kushner said.

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