France will open its visa office in the city this year, which will be followed by a Campus France office, French Ambassador Fancois Richier has said. He was speaking at a press conference here on Saturday.
While the visa office will help people planning to visit France, the campus office will help students and faculty from institutes of higher education in both the countries to interact with one another.
Mr. Richier said the grant of soft loan to Kochi Metro showed the French government’s willingness to fund eco-friendly projects that help cut down pollution.
“The metro will also help better the quality of life. France also has been encouraging people to choose public transport over personalised transportation modes. We are looking forward to more investment in agriculture, tourism and other sectors in Kerala. The Kerala government must identify financially viable, eco-friendly projects that we can fund. One reason for foreign firms not preferring Kerala is because the State is not inclined towards private participation,” he said.
Garbage treatmentOn garbage treatment, Mr. Richier said the State had not sought cooperation in the sector. The French delegation is expected to hold talks with the MD of KSIDC, Aruna Sundararajan for investment avenues in Kerala.
