Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the country’s ambassador to Nepal, has been announced as India’s next Foreign Secretary. He will be taking charge after Harsh Vardhan Shringla retires on 30th April.
Who is Vinay Mohan Kwatra
Vinay Mohan Kwatra is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer with has 32 years of experience working in a range of assignments. From 2015 to 2017, he has worked in the Prime Minister’s office and then went to France as the ambassador of India.
Working in the permanent mission of India
In 1988, a he served as the Permanent Mission of India’s third secretary after joining the IFS and later became the second secretary which he served till 1993. He handled work related to the Human Rights Commission, and UN specialized agencies and had also obtained a diploma in International Relations from the Graduate School of International Studies located in Geneva.
Other postings
He served as a desk officer dealing with the United Nations between the years from 1993 to 2003, and also worked in diplomatic missions in Uzbekistan and South Africa. He had also served as the counsellor and was later promoted as the deputy chief of mission in India’s Beijing embassy between the year’s 2003 to 2006. He has also represented the country at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as the head of the Trade, Finance Bureau, and Economy.
Head of the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs
Vinay Mohan Kwatra served as the minister (Commerce) in the embassy located in Washington. He headed the Ministry of External Affairs’ Policy Planning & Research Division and served in the foreign ministry’s Americas Division and dealt with the country’s relations with Canada and the United States.
Serving as joint secretary
From 2015 to 2017, Kwatra served as the joint secretary of the Prime Minister of India’s office. From 2017 to 2020, he served as the Indian Ambassador to France. Since 2020, he has been serving as the Indian ambassador to Nepal.
