Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 20 (ANI: Slovakia's Honorary Consulate was inaugurated in Kolkata on Thursday.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by a high-profile Slovak delegation, including Slovakia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Juraj Blanar, Slovakia's Minister of Finance, Ladislav Kamenicky, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, Rastislav Chovanec, Slovakia's Ambassador to India, Robert Maxian, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Slovakia, Marian Kery. Jupiter Group MD Vivek Lohia, who is also the Honorary Consul General of Slovakia also attended the ceremony.

Speaking to ANI, Juraj Blanar said, 'It is really privilege for me to be here and to feel that I feel like in my hometown or my home country because now we can see that this is going to be a small piece of Slovak territory here in Kolkata, sovereign territory of Kolkata.'

Praising Honorary Consul Vivek Lohia, he said, 'Excellency Honorary Consul, is a very distinguished, and very smart person who is well known in this region. And it's a privilege to have you as an honorary consul here because it is a great potential for us to expand our cooperation between our countries, Slovakia and India as well. We don't want to be only in the central India around the capital of India. We want to spread throughout all India. That's why we are reopening this honorary consulate here in Kolkata., in West Bengal and also we want to be active in the neighbouring states like Odisha and also the Uttar Pradesh. This is something which gives us a great opportunity, I mean not only for the Indian investors but also for Slovakia investors and businessmen.'

He said that West Bengal is very developed when it comes to railways and airports. He also talked about Slovakia's participation in the West Bengal Business Forum.

Juraj Blanar said, 'West Bengal is a well developed, country states with infrastructure when it comes to roads, when it comes to railways, also the airports. In West Bengal, you've got something as far as I was informed, 9 million of medium and small and medium enterprises, which is proportionately 14 per cent overall of whole India. So can you see this big room for our cooperation? That's why we regularly attend the West Bengal Business Forum. summit which is every year, and I think that's another part of of opportunity. So, I could continue in many ways. As you know, we already have experience with investors from India in Slovakia. The biggest investment in Slovakia and the European Union also is Tata Group, Jaguar Land Rover, EUR1.4 billion. Another one is Uttar Pradesh batteries and other investment and there are 5 or 6 other companies staying in the pipeline to invest in Slovakia. So, we would like to strengthen our cooperation and honorary consul, I would like to really congratulate to having this position, but let me frankly say also that Slovakia would like to have also achievable result.'

'That's why we are opening this honorary consulate because as I said, many rooms are open for us like different machinery IT by the way, I heard that West Bengal is like Silicon Valley of IT developing very rapidly and also we would like to have some achievement in education and university student exchange and also we would like to have some cultural exchange because I think the best to do any business to know each other, people to people relations. That's why I really appreciate that our Excellency honorary consul has already got many experiences from Slovakia, even more frequently travelled to Slovakia than me to India, by the way, because I am the 2nd time here and I really appreciate that what we have done,' he added.

He said that trade turnover between two nations has increased up to almost EUR1.3 billion. He thanked Slovakia's Ambassador to India Robert Maxian for doing the job well in India.

Speaking about the trade turnover between two nations, he said, 'Our trade turnover raised since the last year when it was 800 million up to almost EUR1.3 billion. That means we are growing and we would like to continue in this. I would like to thank our Excellency Ambassador Mr. Robert Maxian because he has done a great job here. He's travelling around and finding a really reputable people as you are, and I think this is something which we have to really appreciate and I'm looking forward to our cooperation.'

Juraj Blanar handed over the honorary consulate stamp and ID of the Slovak Republic to Lohia and said, 'we are looking forward to our cooperation and we try to also help you as much as possible from our side, from Slovakia, from also our embassy.'

Speaking to reporters, Vivek Lohia called it a 'momentous and historical occasion' and said that he felt blessed as Slovakia gave him the responsibility to represent them in Kolkata. He stressed that the ties between two nations have been 'historical' and the ties are getting strengthened further.

Lohia said, 'I think today is a very momentous and historical occasion. Where we are reopening the consulate in Calcutta, and I'm blessed that Slovakia has given this opportunity to me to represent them in this part of the country. The relationship between Slovakia and India has been a very historical relationship and the relationship is now getting strengthened further. I think we all shared a very common ethos and values in terms of development oriented and peace loving nations. There's a very strong industrial connect as the ...has already mentioned. Slovakia is very strong in engineering and automotive in Europe. It's the biggest manufacturer of automotive components and cars.'

'It has from Volkswagen to Tata Jaguar to all the major companies. We have also contributed in a small way. We have a partnership with a company called ...which is the biggest manufacturer in Europe for freight cars, it's a Slovak company. We have a very strong relationship with them in India. They are our shareholders in Jupiter wagons. Now with....we are investing close to EUR500 million in India and Slovakia to set up a new plan for manufacturing of wheels and axles which will not only be used in the Indian market but also in the European market,' he added.

He noted that Eastern India holds a lot of potential. He said, 'We also have a relationship with the Czech Slovak group which is again we have a joint venture with them in India for brake systems, and that business is also expanding in a significant way. And I think eastern India holds a lot of potential and with the engineering and the automotive and defence and IT, the talent which is there in Slovakia and especially in the eastern part of India, as we know that Kolkata in eastern India has a very strong industrial base, so we believe there is a very strong opportunity for both the Nations to collaborate both for the Indian market and the Slovak market and the partnership can grow very strongly and rapidly.'

He also talked about the B2B conference, which will have participation of over 100 industries.

He said, 'I think with the ministers coming here and they are coming today with a very big trade delegation where in the evening we are having a B2B conference which is there where about more than 100 industries from this part of the world will interact with the Slovak delegation, and I think that will foster very strong and fruitful relationship between both countries and I think you know our Prime Minister is very focused to enhance India's foreign policy as well as the industrial to build the economic strength of the country, so we will continue to work with his blessings.' (ANI)