A new Indian consulate is coming to Seattle

Seattle may never have an embassy row that compares to Washington D.C., but a new player is entering the city's diplomatic community: India.

The State Department and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced a new consulate in Seattle, underscoring the city's position as a hub for Indian immigrants.

We don't know exactly when or where the new Indian consulate will open, but this announcement does represent a step forward in U.S.-India relations, said Katherine Hadda, a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, a D.C.-based think tank. She's also a prior senior diplomat who most recently served as U.S. consul general in Hyderabad, India.

To Hada, consulates are the "unsung heroes" of global democracy. They're vital to the operation of any diplomatic mission, and provide a number of services, like helping with passport renewals and investment issues.

"They'll facilitate investments between the two countries, maybe by hosting a business delegation...from their home country to that consulate, so they can see what the local opportunities might be," Hadda said. "And they all just engage on a lot of people-to-people activities, demonstrating and hopefully strengthening the value of the bilateral relationship."