Kolkata – U.S. Consul General in Kolkata, Craig Hall, along with Brigadier General David E. Brigham, Defense Attaché, U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, are visiting Siliguri, Darjeeling, Guwahati and Shillong this week. The Brigadier General is on his first familiarization trip to the region; after a stopover in Darjeeling, the gateway to the Northeast, he will proceed to Guwahati and Shillong. This visit is a continuation of the U.S. Government’s and U.S. Consulate General Kolkata’s efforts to build sustained engagement in North Bengal and Northeast India.
U.S. Consul General Craig Hall said, “The United States and India are working bilaterally, and in cooperation with other like-minded partners like Japan and Australia, to advance our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific — a region that is open, prosperous, and secure. Our goals are to support good governance and liberty; promote market-based economics; ensure the freedom of the seas and sky; and insulate sovereign nations from external coercion.”
U.S. Consul General Craig Hall visited Siliguri twice last year in July and in November, when he also visited Cooch Behar at the invitation of Honorable North Bengal Development Minister Rabindra Nath Ghosh. Officials from the U.S. Consulate General’s Consular, Foreign Commercial Service, and EducationUSA offices have made two separate trips to Siliguri and Darjeeling since last September and met corporate heads, government officials, media, students, and travel agents to discuss and explore possible areas of collaboration.
As a part of his outreach, the Brigadier General plans to meet with defense, law enforcement and security officials, other government officials, and civil society leaders in the region.
