(Miami-Dade County, FL) -- Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas, Chair of the Jay Malina International Trade Consortium (ITC), welcomed His Excellency S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India on Wednesday, November 25, 2009, at Miami International Airport on his way to the Caribbean.  Minister Krishna, who was accompanied by two members of his cabinet, flew into Miami from Washington D.C. where he attended President Obama's first State dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Minister Krishna thanked Commissioner Seijas for leading a trade mission to India in 2007, and discussed his plans to return to Miami in the near future.  Florida is the #2 entry point of all Indian goods entering the U.S. and home to over 30,000 residents of Indian descent.  Consequently, the government of India is exploring the possibility of opening a trade office in Miami, and Commissioner Seijas encouraged him to do so and offered the full support of the ITC.  As the Gateway to the Americas, Miami is the logical entry point for Indian trade to Latin America and the Caribbean where over 1.1 million people of Indian descent reside.