File image of Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India. | Photo Courtesy: Nagara Gopal
The US is acting on its commitment to open a consulate in Bengaluru next month, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on Thursday (Dec 19, 2024).
The US had earlier announced the opening of two new consulates in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Pointing out that the United States is the only major country that does not have a consulate in Bengaluru, Garcetti said, “So we are working hard on that. I hope to announce some good news soon, we already have foreign commercial service in Bengaluru… We are Bengaluru Commercial We are committed to seeing through our commitment to open the embassy, hopefully in January.”
He made these remarks at an interactive session organized by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) here.
Political leaders are responding
Welcoming the announcement, Karnataka’s IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said: “This will be a big boost for Karnataka and will further enhance the state’s economic potential. It will help strengthen ties between India and the US, promoting closer diplomatic, technical and economic cooperation.”
Tejashwi Surya, a BJP MP from Bengaluru South, expressed his excitement at seeing “a long-standing demand finally materialised”, he said, adding that for years the lack of a US consulate in Bengaluru had forced residents to travel to Chennai or Hyderabad for visa work.
“I have made it my mission as MP for this wonderful city to fulfill this….I wrote a letter to EAM Dr S Jaishankar in November 2019 advocating this critical need. He called it a “no-brainer and compelling question” and in March 2023 Assured action during his visit to Bengaluru,” Mr. Surya added.
(Including information received from the Bureau)
published – December 20, 2024 at 12:13 pm IST