The deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri was appointed as the next foreign secretary of India. He is known to be an expert on China.
A career diplomat belonging to the 1989 batch at the Indian Foreign Service, Misri will succeed Vinay Kwatra, who is set to be India's ambassador to the United States.
According to an official notification, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has formally cleared Misri's appointment; he takes charge on July 15. Presently, Misri is serving as Deputy NSA in the National Security Council Secretariat. He assumes charge at a time when India is facing a slew of foreign policy challenges, especially its impaired relations with China following the eastern Ladakh border conflict.
It was a unique distinction—Misri served as private secretary to three Indian prime ministers: Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi.
Before he took over as the deputy NSA, Misri held the title of India's ambassador to China from 2019 to 2021. At the age of 59, Misri would play a very important role in the high-level diplomatic talks between India and China after the violent Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, which led to the deadliest military confrontation between the two countries in decades.
In a glittering career, Misri has also been India's Ambassador to Spain from 2014 to 2016 and Myanmar from 2016 to 2018. He had several staff assignments in Indian missions to Pakistan, the US, Germany, Belgium and Sri Lanka.
It is learnt that Jawed Ashraf, India's envoy to France, is likely to be appointed the next deputy NSA.
It is also likely to announce India's next ambassador to the US and New Delhi's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.
The Kwatra, sources said, is likely to be India's next ambassador to the US. Sources said since the retirement of Taranjit Sandhu in January this year, the post of ambassador to the US has been lying vacant. In March, a six-month extension was given to Kwatra.
Another is the permanent representative to the UN from India, which will fall vacant in the coming days after the retirement of Ruchira Kamboj this month.
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