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Lithuania’s Honorary Consulate in Kolkata was officially inaugurated this Tuesday (February 16).

Mr. Arvind Kumar Sukhani, a Kolkata-based businessman and philanthropist, has been appointed as Lithuania’s first Honorary Consul in East and North-East India.

The official announcement was made during the Lithuanian National Day reception, dedicated to the 98th anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence.

During a solemn ceremony, Mr. Sukhani was delivered his Consular Commission and adorned with a traditional sash decorated with authentic Lithuanian ethnic ornaments.

“We do believe that Mr. Sukhani’s appointment as our Honorary Consul will further increase Lithuania’s prominence in the region and facilitate the development of our economic and cultural ties,” said Ambassador Laimonas Talat-Kelpša in his welcoming speech.

With the seat in India’s third largest metropolitan city, the consulate will have jurisdiction over the states of West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.

Mr. Sukhani has assumed his official duties from February 8, 2016, following the completion of the appointment procedures in India and Lithuania.

Lithuania’s relations with Kolkata trace back to 1930s, when a prominent Lithuanian traveler Antanas Poška visited the city and stayed there for academic and research purposes.

To mark Poška’s legacy, the University of Calcutta conferred on him posthumously Honorary D.Litt. degree in 2014, and a memorial plaque was unveiled in the University’s library in 2015.

Close ties between Kolkata and Lithuanian Embassy in New Delhi have visibly increased mainly thanks to Mr. Sukhani’s active efforts.  A series of exhibitions and conferences were arranged over the last two years, in addition to Lithuania’s participation at the Kolkata International Theatre Festival in 2014.

The inauguration of the Honorary Consulate was also coupled with the official release of the Bengali edition of “The History of Lithuania” book, the first ever book on Lithuania in the Bengali language.

India and Lithuania established diplomatic relations in 1992. The Lithuanian resident mission in New Delhi opened in 2008.

Two other Lithuania’s Honorary Consulates currently operate in Mumbai and Bangalore, headed by Shri Om Prakash Lohia and Kiron Dhirajlal Shah respectively.