Washington (PTI): Kenneth I. Juster, a top aide of US President Donald Trump, is set to be America’s new ambassador to India, the White House said on Wednesday.
62-year-old Juster, who is the Deputy Assistant to the US president for International Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of his National Economic Council, would replace Richard Verma if nominated and confirmed by the Senate.
“Ken Juster’s move to Indian Ambassador is because he is extremely qualified for the position,” White House deputy spokesperson Lindsay E Walters confirmed to PTI about the news which was first reported by The Washington Post.
“Ken has a strong and positive relationship with everyone in the White House, including the president,” Walters said.
The move has been welcomed by widely respected Ashley Telis, the top India expert in the US.
“Ken knows India well and actually was deeply involved in successful bilateral negotiations between the two countries. The Indians will welcome him enthusiastically. He is a known quantity,” Tellis told The Washington Post.
However, an official announcement has not been made yet.
The White House confirmation in this regard puts to rest all the speculation.
ACCORDING to The Asia Foundation website: “From 2005 to 2010, Juster was Executive Vice President of Law, Policy, and Corporate Strategy at Salesforce.com, a software company that pioneered cloud computing for business enterprises. Juster also previously served as Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001 to 2005. During that time, he founded and served as U.S. Chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group, and was one of the key architects of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership initiative between the United States and India. In addition, he was responsible for negotiating the End-Use Visit Understanding between the United States and China that facilitated increased exports of U.S. high technology to China.
“Upon completion of his term at the Commerce Department, Juster received the Secretary of Commerce’s William C. Redfield Award and Medal, the Commerce Department’s highest honor. Prior to this, Juster was a Senior Partner at Arnold & Porter, where he practiced international law from 1981 to 1989 and 1993 to 2001. He was also the Counselor (Acting) of the U.S. Department of State from 1992 to 1993, and Deputy and Senior Adviser to Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger from 1989 to 1992. Juster received the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award and Medal, the State Department’s highest honor, in 1993. He holds a law degree from the Harvard Law School, a master’s degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and a bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard College.”
