Vinay Mohan Kwatra: New Foreign Secretary

The Indian government has named Vinay Mohan Kwatra who is the country’s ambassador to Nepal, as India’s next Foreign Secretary. He will be taking charge after incumbent Harsh Vardhan Shringla retires on 30th April.

Overview:

  • Vinay Mohan Kwatra is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and 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, after joining the IFS he served as the Permanent Mission of India’s third secretary and later he became the second secretary which he served till 1993. He used to handle work related to the Human Rights Commission, and UN specialized agencies. He also obtained a diploma in International Relations from the Graduate School of International Studies located in Geneva.

Other postings

Between the years from 1993 to 2003, he served as a desk officer dealing with the United Nations and also worked in diplomatic missions in Uzbekistan and South Africa. Between the year’s 2003 to 2006, he served as the counsellor and was later promoted as the deputy chief of mission in India’s Beijing embassy. He has also represented the country at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as the head of the Trade, Finance Bureau, and Economy.

Heading the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs

He has also served as the minister (Commerce) in the embassy located in Washington. He also headed the Ministry of External Affairs’ Policy Planning & Research Division. He has also 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 has 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.


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