New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has been appointed as India's next Ambassador to the United States, announced the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, succeeding seasoned diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who retired in January.
Sandhu's illustrious diplomatic career included serving as the Ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 2024. Now, Kwatra will be tasked to handle the upcoming India-US relations at a time when the US is expecting a change of administration with Donald Trump at the centre.
Who is Vinay Mohan Kwatra? Five FACTS
- Vinay Mohan Kwatra is a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, who took over as the 34th Foreign Secretary after Harsh Vardhan Shringla and served from May 1, 2022, till July 14, 2024, at a time when India's foreign policy underwent a significant challenge due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Before assuming charge as Foreign Secretary, Kwatra was serving as the Indian Ambassador to Nepal. He is known for his extensive expertise in dealing with India's neighbourhood as well as the United States, China and Europe.
- A career diplomat with over 34 years of experience, Kwatra served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020. He also served in the US as minister (commerce) at the Embassy in Washington DC between May 2010 to July 2013.
- Kwatra was also posted twice to China, first as a Counsellor and then the Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy in Beijing. He also headed the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs between July 2013 and October 2015.
- Kwatra has also held the position of a joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for two years between October 2015 and August 2017. He is married to Pooja Kwatra, and the couple has two sons.
What are Kwatra's challenges?
India is waiting for a decisive result in the US presidential elections in November, where Donald Trump has a decent chance to win. Kwatra's first task would be to reach out to officials who can play a crucial role in India-related policies in the changing administration. Notably, India-US ties have witnessed an upswing and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump share a warm relationship.
The foiled assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun may also become a focus of talks between India and the US, as the arrest and extradition of Indian national Nikhil Gupta had created some amount of frustration between the world's oldest and largest democracies.
India's relationship with the US has strengthened under PM Modi, with New Delhi seeing Washington as a partner to deter a growingly assertive China. The US also sees India as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific beneficial in standing up to China. The two countries are also working on the highly ambitious Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
