On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs appointed Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new Ambassador of India to the United States. Kwatra, a distinguished Indian Foreign Service officer from the 1988 batch, will soon begin his new role, filling the vacancy left by Taranjit Sandhu, who retired in January 2024.
Kwatra recently retired as India’s Foreign Secretary in July, having had his tenure extended from the original end date of April 30 to October. His appointment comes following Vikram Misri’s recent succession as Foreign Secretary.
Kwatra’s career includes significant roles across various international posts. He has previously served in China and the US, worked in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, and was India’s envoy to France from August 2017 to February 2020. His experience also extends to positions at the Indian consulate in Durban, China, and Russia, as well as leading economic, trade, and finance issues within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Additionally, he has contributed to India’s development programs in Afghanistan.
Kwatra holds a postgraduate degree in science and is proficient in French, Russian, Hindi, and English. He also earned a diploma in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. His early career included serving as the third and second secretary at the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva. Notably, from May 2010 to July 2013, he was the Minister (Commerce) at the Indian Embassy in Washington, and between July 2013 and October 2015, he led the Americas division and the Policy Planning & Research division of the Ministry of External Affairs. From 2015 to 2017, Kwatra served as Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office.
