Bureau de France, the branch office of Consulate General of France in Bengaluru, was inaugurated at T-Hub, Raidurg, here on Wednesday.
The centre will work on enhancing economic outreach, as a bridge in investment and business relations with Telangana. The office, however, will not issue visas. The visa section services will continue through its Consulate General of France in Bengaluru, Pondicherry, Mumbai and Kolkata.
According to Ambassador of France to India Thierry Mathou, the decision to choose Hyderabad as the branch office was significant and strategic, for the growing interests in Telangana, especially the French investment in aerospace, defence, transport, agri-food, and pharmaceutical industries, among others in the recent years.
“Hyderabad is one of the major places in India for France, to engage and boost partnership for innovation projects,” he said. About 700 students from Telangana go to France for educational purposes every year. He hoped that the numbers would increase in the coming years.
Congratulating Telangana for the partnership, and in admiration of T-Hub, Mr. Mathou said it was the place to be, to engage and interact daily with the young generation of the country. France, a major startup nation in the European Union, also housed the ‘Station F’, the world’s biggest startup campus, he said.
T-Hub CEO Mahankali Srinivas Rao, who represented the Telangana government at the inaugural ceremony, said: “The Bureau de France in Hyderabad is an important milestone — “a gateway to startups, universities and industries.”
Consul General of France in Bengaluru, Thierry Berthelot, industry partners and other delegates were present.
