City gets the fifth United States Consulate in India after Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
The United States opened a consulate in Bengaluru on Friday. However, it will not immediately offer visa services and will take some time to start full consular services.
U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti, along with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, dedicated the site of the consulate, which will become the fifth in India, after Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. The consulate is temporarily located at the JW Marriott Hotel on Vittal Mallya Road.
Visa services
Initially, consular services will continue to be performed at the consulate in Chennai and other U.S. diplomatic posts in India. Mr. Garcetti said, “Visa services will not be offered at the beginning, but we will work on that to bring visas as soon as possible.’‘
According to him, the consulate will expand on the U.S. government’s more than 30-year presence in Bengaluru by increasing diplomatic engagement on economic and political issues, conducting public diplomacy and people-to-people engagements, and augmenting existing U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service capabilities.
Mr. Garcetti said, “Our relationship truly extends from the seabed to the stars, and nowhere is that truer than here in Bengaluru. The innovation and entrepreneurship of this state – from semiconductors to space – is matched only by Silicon Valley in my home state of California.’‘
Bilateral ties
Expressing optimism about the future of the bilateral relationship, Mr. Jaishankar said, “I see a great future for India and the United States, and I think, in that future, obviously Bengaluru will also have a salient part.” The Minister said it was a very important milestone in the bilateral ties and urged the US administration to ensure that the mission starts visa operations at the earliest.
He also promised to open an Indian diplomatic mission in Los Angeles. ‘’This will be my number one talking point with Secretary Rubio when I see him. The sooner we get it done, the better it is,’‘ he said.
According to the Minister, the Regional Passport Office in Bengaluru issued 8,83,000 passports in just one year. “Do the math, you will see how important it is to ensure a smooth travel.’‘
On increased collaboration between the U.S. and India, he further said two decades ago, there were virtually no American weapons in the Indian inventory and very little defence collaboration. “Today, we fly the C-17s, the C-130Js, the Chinooks and the Apaches.” The minister also said India has about 3,50,000 students in the U.S. and a diaspora of five million people, building a powerful case for the U.S. to get around to issuing visas from Bengaluru as early as possible.
Symbol of ties
Speaking at the event, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said, ‘‘This is not just an opening of the diplomatic mission, but a powerful symbol of the ties between the United States and India, particularly with Karnataka, a state that has been long at the heart of India’s growth and innovation.”
He further said the U.S. consulate site in the city was a testament to the growing global importance of Bengaluru and Karnataka. ‘‘The proposal for a U.S consulate in the city dates back to S.M Krishna, former Chief Minister and External Affairs Minister, who took up the matter with Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Many have chased this case since then.”
Bengaluru is the sister city of San Francisco, California, and Cleveland, Ohio, and a key link with U.S. defence, technology, and aerospace companies. According to the U.S. mission in India, the U.S. government first established an office in Bengaluru in 1993, opening its commercial service post.
Diplomatic mission in Los Angeles
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar promised to open an Indian diplomatic mission in Los Angeles, which he would discuss with Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, US. ‘’This will be my number one talking point with Secretary Rubio when I see him. The sooner we get it done, the better it is,’‘ he said.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)