India Operationalizes New Consulate in Seattle, Appoints Consul General

After years of anticipation, India has taken an important step toward establishing a consulate in Seattle, Washington, in the United States' Pacific Northwest. Official sources have revealed that Prakash Gupta, a 2002 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, will be the first consul general in Seattle.

 

 

 

Gupta is scheduled to visit Seattle later this month to officially open the consulate.

Prakash Gupta now coordinates UN relations for the Ministry of External relations (MEA) and has held major diplomatic positions such as deputy head of mission in Indonesia and consul general in Shanghai. An formal declaration addressing this development is expected during the forthcoming 2+2 ministerial meeting.

 

The construction of the consulate in Seattle is a significant accomplishment, as the city is a renowned technological hub and home to a large number of Indian nationals.Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Boeing are among the prominent global corporations headquartered in Seattle. This strategic decision to construct a consulate in the region was taken by the Indian government during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic state visit to the United States in June of this year.

It's worth mentioning that India announced its plan to build a consulate in Seattle in 2016. During PM Modi's visit, the Indian government also announced intentions to open consulates in two more US locations. In exchange, the US promised to open consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. 

 

This vow was reaffirmed in a joint statement published following the Modi-Biden meeting in June: "Concurrent with the rapid growth in our strategic partnership and demand for travel, both sides intend to open new consulates in each other's countries." The US aims to start the process of opening two new consulates in India, in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad."