External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar joined US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti for the opening of the US Consulate in Bangalore. Hailing the step as an important moment in the
India-US ties, Jaishankar also announced that India will soon be opening its consulate in Los Angeles.
“Bengaluru is such an important place, it was for me an imperative that there is a permanent resident presence of American diplomats this time…It has been something long in waiting…I told him (US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti) you get Bengaluru done and I’ll get you Los Angeles done, which is his hometown. So we will be opening our consulate in Los Angeles also. A consulate serves many purposes. A big part of it is to facilitate travel,” the EAM said.
While addressing the gathering, Jaishankar highlighted several aspects of the India-US ties and said that the opening of the consulate was long due.
“Today it is within our grasp, within the realm of possibility, that we realise the potential of India-US relations. It is important that Bengaluru too, realise its potential in the relationship.
As a country, today we are encouraging the opening of more embassies in the capital. It’s part of our deeper engagement with the world. But along with that, we are also encouraging more embassies to open consulates. I hope that there will be more occasions where more countries will open more consulates in Bengaluru. It would serve India’s interests, Karnataka’s interests and Bengaluru’s interests better”, Jaishankar said.
