THE WAY AHEAD: French ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont paid a visit to Jyoti Basu at Indira Bhavan on Thursday. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

France is set to reopen its full-fledged consulate office in the city by the year-end. The consulate will house a visa section, an economic mission and an educational and cultural institute.

“The British, Americans, German, Chinese and Italians are all here. So why not us?” asked Jerome Bonnafont, the French ambassador to India.

The French had a consulate in the city till 1998, when a fire broke out on the premises. The visa section was shut down and the economic mission was shifted to the German consulate.

But the mission “ran into administrative problems and legal hassles. Now, we will have all consular functions operating under the same roof by the year-end,” said Bonnafont, addressing an interactive session organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

The envoy said Air France is conducting a market study in Calcutta to ascertain whether operating direct flights from the city would be viable. “We have heard Air France is studying the feasibility of operating direct flights from Calcutta. Bengal and France have old links,” said Bonnafont.

The French are keen on forging links with universities in Calcutta. The envoy will visit Jadavpur University on Friday.