America
India's Ambassador to the United States: Vinay Mohan Kwatra Appointed to Key Diplomatic Role
July 20 :
The appointment of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, a former foreign secretary, as the next ambassador of India to the United States of America was announced on July 19 by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The Ministry announced that Kwatra, a veteran diplomat with more than 32 years of service, is set to begin his new job soon. His predecessor, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, left earlier this year, and he takes over.
Throughout his career, Kwatra—an officer of the Indian Foreign Service from the 1988 batch—has held numerous important positions. He took office as the foreign secretary of India in April 2022. His previous position was as Indian Ambassador to Nepal, where he was instrumental in enhancing ties between the two countries. Among Kwatra's diplomatic achievements is her time spent serving as India's ambassador to France, which spanned from 2017 to 2020. He played a pivotal role at this time in developing ties between France and India in a number of different areas. Kwatra also helped formulate important policies during his time as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (October 2015–August 2017).
Kwatra has a stellar reputation for managing India's ties with its neighbors and other big international powers like the US, China, and Europe. India is looking to strengthen its strategic ties in the face of changing global dynamics, and his appointment couldn't have come at a more critical moment.