Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard officially opened a Mexican consulate in the Indian city of Mumbai earlier this week.
Formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai is the financial hub of India, which is expected to overtake China as the most populous country in the world in April.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said in a statement that the aim of opening a consulate in Mumbai was to “accelerate relations” with Indian business leaders in sectors including health, entertainment, textiles and agri-food.
At the inauguration, Ebrard said that the relationship between Mexico and India is closer than ever “for several reasons,” including “geopolitical stress and similarities in our positions in the world,” investment flows between the two countries and “the will” of President López Obrador and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen ties.
According to the Indian Embassy in Mexico, India — the fifth largest economy in the world — had investments in Mexico in 2020 that were worth more than US $3 billion. Mexico — the world’s 15th largest economy — had investments of about $1 billion in India, the embassy said.
Mexico and India established diplomatic relations in 1950 and agreed to enhance their partnership during Modi’s visit to Mexico in 2016.
Last week, the two countries reached an agreement to collaborate on and jointly finance “binational development and innovation projects in several fields,” including ones related to water, lithium, the aerospace industry, biotechnology and vaccines.
The new consulate in Mumbai, Ebrard said, is Mexico’s “first consulate oriented at innovation and investment in science and technology.”
Its opening “will allow us to extend our economic ties and promote initiatives in thriving sectors like textiles, plastic, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and agri-food, among many others,” the SRE said.
“In addition, this new consular office will serve as an economic promotion platform in the center and south of India,” the ministry said.
The SRE also said that the consulate will provide protection and assistance to Mexicans in India and issue visas to Indian citizens planning to travel to Mexico for business, tourism and educational purposes.
Mexico News Daily
