Chandrababu Naidu seeks help of Indian envoys

Amaravati: Indian Ambassadors to Spain, Austria, Vietnam and Kuwait met Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the Secretariat on Wednesday to discuss the investment potential and best practices to be followed in the State.

Ambassador to Spain, D. Bala Venktesh Verma informed the Chief Minister that he would send a delegation of top CEOs to meet key suppliers in the automobile industry in the State. He said there are big construction companies in Spain looking forward to invest in convention centres. He added that Spain was mainly focusing on renewable energy and automobiles presently and AP can tap the sector.

The Ambassador to Spain also shared some ideas such as creation of a foreign language school and providing Indo Pacific studies which can boost AP’s image as a knowledge center. Responding to the proposals, Chandrababu Naidu said that the State government was very keenly working on the Automobile sector. Anantapur to Sri City is the best zone as that area is bustling with activities.

Nearly 25-30% of hardware industry of AP is located in the zone. The Spain delegation can get in touch with officials who will provide all possible support, said the Chief Minister.

Rene Pall, Indian Ambassador to Austria, told the Chief Minster that she can arrange a delegation from Austria to provide assistance on developing technical research and medical diagnostics. “Montenegro has a great port area which AP should utilise to its fullest. This would be a great opportunity for Andhra Pradesh to prosper in terms of exports”, she added.

Chandrababu Naidu informed her that the State is very strong in cotton and textile industry. “We want to expand in this area and will be very happy to collaborate with Austria in this aspect. Exchange of knowledge is of utmost priority for us and AP will facilitate any kind of research and technical development for mutual benefit,” he said.

P Harish, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam explained to the Chief Minister that Vietnam has expanded its horizon from just a rice producer to an exporter of sea food, seasonal fruits and other horticultural activities. Vietnam has successfully increased its produce per hectare due to assistance from government and efficient marketing strategies.

“Vietnam imports majority of its sea food amounting close to $1.3 billion from Kakinada. They then process, package and export it to Japan and Europe and reap great benefits by providing value addition”, said the Ambassador, briefing the Chief Minister on the growth story of Vietnam. The Chief Minister was also provided with suggestions to develop Buddhist tourism in AP which would help in great tourist footfalls to the state.

K Jeeva Sagar, Indian Ambassador to Kuwait informed the Chief Minister that the purchasing power in Kuwait was huge and that AP must be ready to exploit that. Investors are willing to come to AP for investing in tourism, construction and infrastructure projects and he can facilitate talks with KIA (Kuwait Investment Authority), he said.