Israel consulate to offer business visas

Israel, which recently opened its consulate in Bangalore, will issue business visas in about six weeks’ time.

At an interactive meeting with the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on investment opportunities for Indian companies in Israel and vice-versa, Menahem Kanafi, Israeli consul-general in Bangalore, said: “In about six weeks’ time, we will be providing visa solutions to business people in Bangalore.” 

Kanafi said the Bangalore consulate is Israel’s third consulate in India, the other two being in New Delhi and Mumbai.  He added that he has already held discussions with the state home, horticulture and rural development ministers on various issues.  Israel will also set up three centres of excellence for advanced technology in agriculture at Kolar, Bagalkot and Belgaum.

This apart, Israel has also singed a Karnataka-Israel programme for Industrial Research and Development, which is a bilateral framework providing financial support to collaborative industrial R&D ventures between Karnataka and Israeli companies.

FKCCI president R Shivakumar said the next decade of engagement between the two countries would be defined to new frontiers of cooperation in agriculture, science and technology and R&D.