Belgium opens honorary consulate at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City

Besides the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi, 2 Consulates General in Mumbai and  Chennai, and an Honorary Consulate in Kolkata, Belgium now expands its diplomatic representation in India with an Honorary Consulate in Gandhinagar.

The consulate was inaugurated by Belgian Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Pieter De Crem.

Speaking on the occasion, Pieter De Crem, Belgian Secretary of State for Foreign Trade said, “We are happy to open our consulate office at GIFT City, a visionary project of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. With this office, we will be able to deepen the bilateral relations between our country and the state of Gujarat. I congratulate Mr. Hari Sankaran on being appointed as the Honorary Consul and Mr Sanjay Joshi as the Deputy Honorary Consul.”

Hari Sankaran, Vice Chairman and MD, IL&FS said, “I am humbled to be appointed as the Honorary Consul and assure full support and cooperation to the Belgium Government. The State of Gujarat and Belgium have had strong historic ties around the diamond industry. With Gujarat emerging as a pre-eminent centre for manufacturing, agriculture, and, now services through GIFT, the potential for increasing collaboration is manifold."

Ajay Pandey, MD & Group CEO, GIFT City said, “It is a prestigious moment for us to host the Belgium Consulate at GIFT City.  Apart from BFSI and capital market players, GIFT now also has the privilege to have its first consulate office. GIFT IFSC is witnessing fast-paced growth and we look forward to many more services oriented businesses and consulates establishing their presence in our state-of-the-art smart GIFT City.”