IPNEWS-MONROVIA: Business Tycoon, Upjit Singh Sachdeva has labeled India’s desire to open an embassy in Liberia his “proudest achievement” as former Indian Honorary Consulate General.
According to the Indian native, who was recently withdrawn from his diplomatic post, the-soon to be embassy is a clear indication that the relationship between the two countries has moved to a higher height and a manifestation that his time as an Indian diplomatic was a success.
Mr. Sachdeva added that he worked tirelessly with his country’s ambassadors concurrently accredited to Liberia from La Cote d’Ivoire mission to deepen and enhance bilateral ties between India and Liberia.
“I am so proud that after over two decades serving as our motherland’s Honorary Consul General, an Embassy is finally coming to Liberia. It is my proudest achievement and it speaks volumes of the groundwork done to strengthen maintaining and enhance the bilateral relationship between India and Liberia,” Mr. Sachdeva, popular knew as Jeety said.
He added, “before being withdrawn, I worked vigorously with India’s ambassadors accredited to Liberia to utilize existing bilateral ties in trade to provide a strong template for realizing the leadership vision in the economic sphere, and increase the resilience of our bilateral trade through a better understanding of evolving requirements on both sides.”
Mr. Sachdeva was relieved of his diplomatic post by New Delhi on Feb. 5, 2021, after more than two decades as its Honorary Consul General to Liberia. He was appointed to the post in 1998.
The withdrawal letter, the Indian Embassy in Cote D’Ivoire, said it was necessitated by India’s desire to increase its footprint in Africa and to request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Liberia to expedite its opening.
“The esteemed Ministry is, therefore, requested to kindly expedite necessary clearance for establishing the Embassy of India in Monrovia as well as Agreement of the designated Ambassador of India to Liberia, which has been forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for necessary clearance,” Indian Embassy in Cote D’Ivoire wrote in a letter to MOFA.
The letter added, “The Embassy of India in Abidjan has further honor to express Government of India’s sincere appreciation to the Government of Liberia for all the cooperation extended to Mr. Sachdeva while serving as Honorary Consul General of India to Liberia.”
According to India Today, the decision by India to open an embassy in Liberia and other African countries came up two years ago when New Delhi was contesting the elections to be on the Bench of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
However, India found that out of the 193 members, they had representations in only 117 (118 including India), and missing a consulate or a full-fledged mission in several African counties—undermining its “international footprint as behooves a country that has growing global interests.”
In 2018, Indian had cleared the opening of 18 new missions in Africa over the four-year period of 2018-21, taking the number of Indian missions in Africa from 29 to 47.
In remarks one after another, Mr. Sachdeva was again praised for saving the lives of several stranded and displaced Indian citizens during civil unrest in Liberia, as well as other supports towards members of them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sachdeva who was recently honored by Indians living in Liberia is been hailed by his compatriots for the selfless roles he played towards their community existence in Liberia, as well as helping “to improve their wellbeing and living conditions in a foreign nation.”
