Oman ambassador-designate meets Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Indian ambassador-designate to Oman Indra Mani Pandey on Monday called on Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and said the embassy in the sultanate will become a one-stop destination for all Indian expatriates.

"I have met Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister for Diaspora, K.C. Joseph, and other top officials. My visit to Kerala was to call on the chief minister and others to seek their support," said Pandey, who will take charge of his new assignment on August 10.

"The Indian Embassy in Oman will be made a one-stop point for all Indians living in the sultanate," said Pandey.

A 1990 Indian Foreign Service officer, he was deputy chief of mission in the Indian embassy in Paris.

Welcoming Pandey, the chief minister said Keralites in Oman faced numerous issues abroad.

"One of the main points our people raise is about staff shortage in the Indian embassy in Oman. Hence, they have to wait for long to get issues sorted out," said Chandy.

Pandey said the staff shortage issue would be handled by ministry of external affairs and the purpose of his Kerala visit was to seek the state government's cooperation.

(IANS)