Former Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has been named India's ambassador to the United States, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday.
Kwatra, who brings a wealth of experience from an illustrious career spanning over three decades, will step into the role soon. The position has been vacant since January, following the retirement of Taranjit Sandhu.
A seasoned diplomat, Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988. His early years saw him stationed at India's Permanent Mission in Geneva.
Between 1993 and 2003, he handled critical assignments as a desk officer at the MEA headquarters in Delhi, focusing on the United Nations.
His diplomatic journey then took him to missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan.
Kwatra's career trajectory includes notable stints in Beijing as counsellor and later deputy chief of mission (2003-2006), and at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the trade, economy, and finance bureau (2006-2010).
His experience in the US is not new; he served as minister (commerce) at the Indian embassy in Washington from May 2010 to July 2013.
From July 2013 to October 2015, he led the policy planning and research division at the MEA, followed by a term as head of the Americas division.
His tenure as joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (2015-2017), ambassador to France (2017-2020), and ambassador to Nepal (2020-2022) further cemented his diplomatic credentials.
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