Kwatra is serving as Ambassador of India to Nepal from March 2020

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, an IFS officer of 1988 batch, will on Saturday assume charge as India’s new Foreign Secretary. Ambassador Kwatra will replace Harsh Vardhan Shringla who completes his two-year term and retires on April 30.

An order of the Appointment of the Committee of the Cabinet had on April 4 approved the appointment of Ambassador Kwatra to the post of Foreign Secretary of India.

Prior to his diplomatic assignment in Nepal, he served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 till February 2020.

Kwatra has an experience of nearly 32 years in a range of assignments, says the Ambassador’s Profile on the Indian Embassy in Nepal’s website.

After joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1988, he served as Third Secretary and then Second Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva until 1993, where apart from learning the French language, he handled work relating to the UN specialized agencies, as also the Human Rights Commission, it further stated.

During this period, he also obtained a diploma in international relations from the Graduate School of International Studies in Geneva, the website informs.

Between 1993 and 2003, he served as Desk Officer at Headquarters dealing with the United Nations, and subsequently in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan, it notes.

Between 2003 and 2006, he served as Counsellor and later as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China, the website further says.

From 2006 to 2010, he represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy and Finance Bureau, it mentions.

From May 2010 till July 2013, he served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India, Washington, the website adds.

Between July 2013 and October 2015, Kwatra headed the Policy Planning & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and later served as the head of Americas Division in the Foreign Ministry where he dealt with India’s relations with the United States and Canada, it maintains.

From October 2015 till August 2017, Kwatra served as Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister of India, the website says.