GDEcD News

New Consulate General of Guatemala opens in Atlanta
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs will participate in inauguration

ATLANTA, January 19, 2005 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Hemisphere, Inc., and the Consulate General of Guatemala in Atlanta welcomes His Excellency, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guatemala Juan José Cabrera, to Atlanta today, Thursday, January 19, for the official opening of the new Consulate General of Guatemala in Atlanta.

“We are pleased Guatemala accepted the Governor’s invitation to open a new consulate in Atlanta,” said GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser. “Its opening highlights Georgia’s significance in international trade and as a destination for business and tourism. As a member of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), Guatemala is very important to furthering Georgia’s initiative in creating international business opportunities.”

A ceremony marking the consulate’s opening will be held this evening at 2750 Buford Highway (the Latin American Association building). The new Consul General is Mr. Hugo Hun. He will assist Honorary Consul General Maria Teresa Fraser, who with 40 years’ experience is the longest-serving consul in Atlanta. The Guatemalan Consulate General will be a full consulate with jurisdiction over Georgia, North and South Carolina and Tennessee, which had been previously covered by the Consulate General in Miami. The new office will provide full consular services, such as issuing visas and passports, as well as promoting trade, investment, tourism, academic and cultural relationships.

“We are honored to serve what we believe to be a population of over 100,000 Guatemalans in Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas,” said Consul General Hun. “The opening of this Consulate General demonstrates the interest of President Berger, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in serving the community living abroad. At the same time, we will present Guatemala as a country of commercial and tourism opportunities. With DR-CAFTA so close, it is the right time to open our doors, and we are ready for the challenge.”

While in Atlanta, Vice Minister Cabrera will meet with GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser, Executive Director of Hemisphere, Inc. Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, and Georgia State Senator Jeff Mullis. He will also lay a wreath at the tomb of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and visit the State Capitol and the Carter Presidential Library.

Guatemala ranks ninth among Georgia’s trade partners in the Western Hemisphere, with just over $105 million in exports in 2004, a 43 percent jump from 2003. Georgia’s primary export to Guatemala is textiles. Almost $91 million in commodities from Guatemala were imported through Georgia ports in 2004, mostly apparel and accessories. Under DR-CAFTA, more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of agricultural, consumer and industrial products would become duty-free immediately, creating new investment opportunities for Georgia businesses.

The opening of the new Consulate General of Guatemala in Atlanta continues Georgia’s outreach to the countries of Central and South America, supporting its effort to raise the profile of Georgia’s position as the primary gateway to access the U.S. domestic market, and as a possible home of the Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), an initiative directed by Hemisphere, Inc., and chaired by Governor Sonny Perdue.

Guatemala is the fourth Latin American country in the past year to open or signal its intention to open an official Consulate General in Atlanta. Peru and El Salvador both opened consulates in 2005, and Brazil has received approval from the U.S. State Department to open a new Consulate General.

Related Sites:
Consulate Offices in Georgia
Consular Services