Belgium will set up its second consulate in the country here next year, its diplomat Karl Van den Bossche has said.

“We are considering to set up a Consulate office here in Chennai. It is in the pipeline... Our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders is very concerned about its opening,” he told PTI.

Besides the Embassy in New Delhi, the member of the European Union has a consulate in Mumbai.

One of the reasons for setting up the second consulate in Chennai is that the Mumbai consulate is handling visa applications and related enquiries from several states, Consul General said.

He said the during his visit to India next year, Belgium Crown Prince Philippe is expected to inaugurate the Consulate in Chennai.

Noting that 80 per cent of trade volume between Belgium and India constitute “diamonds”, he said the current two-way trade between the two countries stands at $15 billion.

Inviting Indian entrepreneurs and corporates to establish footprint in his country, he said there were about 60 Indian companies operating in Belgium while it was 120 Belgium companies having presence in India.

He pointed out that the prevailing global economic crisis was an opportunity for an Indian company to establish its operation there.

“The market sentiment may be dull. But it is an systematic crisis. the economy will soon pickup. be there before it (economic) picks up”.

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