City high priority for US: Consul General

 The 239th Independence Day celebration of the United States of America was celebrated ahead of July 4 (the day USA secured its Independence) at an informal gathering of consulate officials and diplomats from the USA and other countries.

The Karnataka Government was represented by the Higher Education and Tourism Minister R V Deshpande. The celebration were headed by American Consul General Phillip Min ,who is in-charge of US consulates across India.

Speaking on the occasion, Min said, “America had a history with India going back 200 years. When George Washington became the first President of  the United States in 1776, 22 years later, in 1794, he sent to India the first consular general agent William Aditt. So we go back 200 years with India. We have a long-standing relationship with India”.

Min said that Bengaluru was an important city for the US. “This individual, casual gathering fits well with the nature of Bengaluru. We want to work with Bengaluru on various fronts such as cultural programming, strategic relations, education, renewable energy, space, civil society activism and other fields. I find the city exciting and vibrant. The lessons that we learn here are applicable worldwide,” Min added.

Earlier, Ariel Pollock, Public Affairs Officer of the US Consul General, said that her focus would be strongly on South India, particularly Bengaluru. “The fact that we chose this location to celebrate our Independence Day reflects the importance of Bengaluru to us. Bengaluru has a lot to offer right from education, trade, business, climate change, energy to space and science. We intend to develop a strong relationship in each of these sectors with the City. Broadly, South India will be in the picture.” The gathering saw the presence of high-ranking diplomats from France, UK, Germany and Canada.