The opening of the honorary consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany here will take ties between India and Germany to greater heights, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He was speaking before inaugurating the consulate here on Friday.
The day also marked the celebration of the Day of German Unity in the city. In his address, the Chief Minister said Germany was Kerala’s partner in many areas. The connection between Kerala and Germany began centuries ago, even before Hermann Gundert instituted a school system here and wrote the first Malayalam dictionary. Today, thousands of Malayalis were living and working in Germany, he said.
Highlighting the extension of expertise by Germany in making Kerala a green State, the Chief Minister said the social energy installation at the Kochi international airport would be a model for the country. Germany, he said, was also supporting the Kochi watermetro project whereby small islands in Ernakulam and nearby areas would be connected using electric boats. German companies were associating with engineering colleges here.
Greeting German nationals on the Day of German Unity, Mr. Vijayan said that as Germany’s partner State, Kerala joined in this celebration of humanity and togetherness.
Oath of office
German Consul General in Bengaluru Margit Hellwig-Boette administered the oath of office of Honorary Consul to Syed Ibrahim, Director of the Goethe Zentrum, on the occasion.
Ms. Boette said the Day of German Unity was more special this year as it marked the opening of the first German honorary consulate in the State, and Germany was probably the only European country to open one in the city.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall on October 3, 1990, a united Germany had come a long way. German society was constantly changing, and globalisation had affected it, positively and negatively. There had been an influx of people fleeing Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, throwing up challenges with respect to their integration in society. On the positive side, it had brought in more economic opportunities, and the global village had come to Kerala.
On ties between Germany and Kerala, she said German organisations and companies were supporting Kerala’s efforts to become a green State.
She also spoke about potential areas of cooperation in fields such as ecotourism, education, research, commerce, renewable energy, information technology, and skill excellence. The opening of the honorary consulate would further boost Germany’s relationship with Kerala, she said.
G. Vijayaraghavan, chairman, Goethe Zentrum, delivered the welcome address. Chief Secretary S.M. Vijayanand and Mr. Ibrahim spoke.
