Washington: Vinay Mohan Kwatra took charge as India’s new ambassador to the US on Monday and expressed his commitment to continue working towards strengthening the important partnership between the two countries. Kwatra (61) retired from the post of Foreign Secretary of India on July 14. He arrived in Washington on Monday to serve as India’s new ambassador to the US. He replaced Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who retired from the Foreign Service earlier this year. Sandhu was serving as India’s ambassador to the US from 2020 to 2024.
Has been India’s ambassador to France and Nepal
Soon after taking charge, Kwatra said in a post on ‘X’, “It is a privilege to take charge as India’s ambassador to the US. The Indian Embassy team will continue to work with full dedication to strengthen this important partnership.” Kwatra has served as Commerce Minister at the Indian Embassy in Washington. Before being appointed Foreign Secretary, he had also been India’s ambassador to France and Nepal.
Who is Vinay Mohan Kwatra
Vinay Mohan Kwatra is a post graduate in Science. Apart from Hindi, English, he also knows French and Russian languages. He has also done a Diploma in International Relations from the Graduate School of International Studies, Geneva.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra is a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. Kwatra took over as the 34th Foreign Secretary after Harsh Vardhan Shringla and served from May 1, 2022 to July 14, 2024, at a time when India’s foreign policy was going through a significant challenge due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Before taking over as Foreign Secretary, Kwatra served as the Indian Ambassador to Nepal. He is known for his extensive expertise in dealing with India’s neighborhood as well as the United States, China and Europe.
Kwatra, who has over 34 years of experience, served as India’s Ambassador to France from August 2017 to February 2020. He has served as Consul (Consul) at the Indian Embassy in Washington from May 2010 to July 2013.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra has served twice in China. First as Counsellor and then as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy in Beijing. He has also headed the Policy Planning and Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs between July 2013 and October 2015.
Vinay Mohan Kwatra has also held the post of 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 has two sons.
