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Updated: Mar 24, 2017 17:33 IST

The Congressional Caucus on India is working on a legislative agenda to push the Indo-US ties through US Congress in the next two years, Tulsi Gabbard, the new co-chair of the influential group has said.

“We are continuing to work on this, in consultation with the other members of our caucus, as well as leaders within the community here. Once we reach a consensus, then we’ll share that vision, that agenda, and begin to execute a plan to carry it out,” she told PTI.

Gabbard, the three-term Congresswoman, was last week elected as the Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.

Founded in 1994, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, she said, has played a key role in driving forward the Indo-US ties.

“Strong groundwork has been laid, and we’re now at a place where there is great interest, great excitement and great commitment towards continuing to strengthen the US-India ties,” Gabbard, the first Hindu ever elected to the US House of Representatives, said.

“We’re also dedicated to empowering Indian-Americans who are living here in the United States and creating new opportunities in different sectors for people here and the people of India to work together across different industries, different institutions, and, of course, our borders,” she said.

She said bilateral cooperation on security is “at the highest level now than it’s ever been, with many shared interests”.

“The common objective of counter-terrorism and defeating terrorist groups is something that remains at the forefront and a high priority,” the powerful Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii.

Gabbard said “there are mutually beneficial economic opportunities” that the two nations need to continue to explore.

“We’re also looking at other areas like education and cultural exchanges between our two countries, as well as creating more opportunities for people of our countries to become more informed and to better know each other in order to strengthen these bonds,” Gabbard said.

“This is one reason that for the last few years, I worked on creating the Hawaii-Goa sister state partnership, which was recently formalised legislatively,” she said, adding that the formal ceremonies are yet to occur.

“But we’re working to strengthen these bonds on many different levels, not only at the federal or national level, but also at the local level to bring our people closer together,” said Gabbard.