Ambassador Jha Meets Indian Diaspora during Luxembourg Visit

On Thursday 5 May 2022, the Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union (EU), Santosh Jha, along with the Deputy Chief of Mission, Debasish Prusty, received a gathering of about 25 members of the Indian diaspora in Luxembourg.

Ambassador Jha visited Luxembourg for an official meeting, but took the opportunity to reach out to the Indian community in Luxembourg. Planned on short notice, he opened the meet and greet event by asking for suggestions to further improve the embassy services and any concerns those present may had. Ambassador Jha took note of the suggestions and welcomed the efforts of the Indian community in Luxembourg.

The gathering saw representatives from the Indian Association Luxembourg (IAL), the Indian Business Chamber of Luxembourg (IBCL), the Luxembourg Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAILux) and the Luxembourg India Women's Business Chamber for Commerce and Industry (WICCI), ws well as students and researchers from the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), former Indian Navy and Army officials, Amazon and TechMahindra employees, amongst others.

Ambassador Jha reminded members of the Indian community to register themselves with the Embassy website in Brussels to further strengthen communication. He listened and interacted with the gathering for about three hours and pledged continued support to Indian expatriates in Luxembourg. He also looked forward to participating in Indian cultural events and extended Embassy support to events planned by University of Luxembourg students.

Selvaraj Alagumalai, President of IAL, said: "We [would have] liked to invite Ambassador Jha for quite some time but due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, it was not easy. We are happy that Ambassador Jha is here today, and initially planned for a one-hour event, he listened for three hours. He is open to suggestions and very well informed. He is ready to meet us again and again, and we look forward to welcome and keep interacting with him."

Ambassador Jha said: "The desire to reach out to the Indian community [in Luxembourg] is for a long time. It is due to [the] COVID-19 pandemic, which has not allowed us to assemble in gatherings. I came to Luxembourg for an event and I am glad that I am able to meet this large gathering on such short notice, very enthusiastic and young people. I think we benefitted a lot from the feedback we received, the suggestions we got. I am sure in coming months we will be doing more in terms of engaging not only the Indian community but also the Luxembourg community."

Ambassador Santosh Jha assumed the position of Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU on 17 July 2020.