Ambassador Kwatra to Succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla as India’s Foreign Secretary

Washington, DC – The Indian government has appointed Mr. Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the next Foreign Secretary upon the superannuation of Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla on April 30, 2022. Mr. Kwatra currently serves as India’s Ambassador to Nepal.

Ambassador Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988 and served in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva until 1993, handling work relating to the UN specialized agencies, including the Human Rights Commission. He obtained a diploma in International Relations from the Graduate School of International Studies in Geneva. 

Ambassador Kwatra served as the Desk Officer at the Ministry of External Affairs, dealing with the United Nations and subsequently in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan. He served as a Counselor and later as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China. Ambassador Kwatra represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy, and Finance Bureau.

He served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India, Washington, headed the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, and later served as the head of the Americas Division in the Foreign Ministry, where he dealt with India’s relations with the United States and Canada. 

Mr. Kwatra also served as Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister of India and as the Ambassador of India to France.

Before being appointed as Foreign Secretary, Mr. Shringla served as India’s Ambassador to the U.S. and High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh. In his diplomatic career, Foreign Secretary Shringla held various positions in New Delhi and Indian missions in Paris, Hanoi, and Tel Aviv. He also served as Minister/Counselor in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, New York, and as Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam and Durban, South Africa.

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