US gives nod to Indian Consulate in Atlanta

Washington, Mar 1: US State Department has informed the Indian Embassy here that it has no objection to the establishment of Indian Consulate in Atlanta, a development welcomed by the Georgia State Government.

"This is excellent news and represents the culmination of several years of hard work by the State of Georgia, the City of Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and many others," said Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.

The announcement in this regard was made in Oct 2008 following a meeting between the then US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Following the meeting the then Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon had announced that two new consulates would be opened in the US, Atlanta and Seattle. The fate of the second consulate is not known yet.

Currently besides the Indian Embassy in Washington, India has four consulates in the US, New York, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco.

With a rapid increase in India-US business ties and growth of Indian population the need of more Indian diplomatic posts is increasingly being felt.

"We look forward to working with the Indian government in the weeks and months ahead as they finalize their plans and open for business," Deal said in a statement issued by the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Georgia has a long-standing and close relationship with India, encompassing the business, cultural, academic and diplomatic worlds.

In 2010, the State was chosen to host the inaugural USA India Business Summit, which was attended by Ambassador of India to the US Meera Shankar. It will host the 2011 Summit in Jun.

Business delegations from Georgia and India visit back and forth on a regular basis, including a delegation from GDEcD and the Metro Atlanta Chamber that has just returned this week. Georgia is currently served by the Consulate General of India in Houston.

PTI