US consul Peter Haas scouts for foreign direct investment to boost American economy.
It has been over eight years since chief minister Narendra Modi’s application for a diplomatic visa was rejected by the US consular division, apparently holding him responsible for the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Since then, whenever a US diplomat is asked when Modi would be granted visa, all the diplomats gave a stock reply: “Our policy remains unchanged.”
Monday seemed to be no different when the US consul general in Mumbai, Peter Haas, was asked the same old question. His reply: “The US government has not changed the policy.”
Haas, who assumed the post in August 2011 and till now has paid seven visits to the state, is on a two-day visit to Ahmedabad.
On being asked whether the US government would change its policy for Modi as he has now become a PM candidate, Haas said: “Our policy remains unchanged. Modi will have to apply for a visa like any other common man. And, as per the regulation, his case will be jurisdicated.”
He further added that the relationship between the US and the Gujarat government was always strong. “There has been no paradigm shift in the relationship between the US and Gujarat.
Our relationship is getting deeper and broader. In case of politics, Indian people will be choosing their leader,” he said.
According to Haas, depreciation of the rupee against the dollar is because the US economy was recovering. “The US economy is recovering pretty well. The country is expanding as there are a lot of opportunities for growth. Being the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) destination in the world, the government is trying to attract FDI. Government is also hosting an investment summit in October,” he said.
Haas arrived in the city on Sunday evening and his official visit began on Monday. He first went to Anjuman-I-Islam school where he had a small interactive session with Muslim girls. Later, he went to Motif Inc, an US headquartered BPO in Ahmedabad, where he spent about an hour.
Later in the day, the consul general met state chief secretary Varesh Sinha and in the evening, attended a quiz competition at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA).
On Tuesday, Haas will visit SPIPA (Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration) after which he will promote US tourism at the Visit USA (VUSA) programme.
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