BENGALURU: The Honorary Consulate of the Kingdom of Morocco was inaugurated in Bengaluru on Monday, with Moroccan Ambassador to India Mohammed Maliki stating that there was a need for a consulate in the city. Pratap Madhukar Kamath, Managing Director of Abaran Timeless Jewellery, was declared the Honorary Consul of Morocco in Bengaluru by Amabassador Maliki on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, Kamath said that the role of the consulate would be to maintain bilateral relations between Morocco and India and ensure that more investments happen on both sides, especially in the tourism sector.
Maliki said that with India-Morocco relations flourishing, more consulates have been established in the past, including in Mumbai and Kolkata. “There is a need for more outreach as a country and India is more akin to a continent due to its immense size. There are many opportunities that are present to us elsewhere than where our consulates are present. It was a natural choice to expand our presence to represent our business interests in this part of the world, because you simply cannot skip Bengaluru,” he said.
He said that Bengaluru had been of great interest, especially due to its focus on several industries, including in startups, energy, defence and the IT sector. “The Honorary Consul will help in safeguarding the interests of both Moroccans and Indians. They will also help in organising cultural visits, economic visits, business and parliamentary delegations,”he said.