Vinay Mohan Kwatra named as new Foreign Secretary

New Delhi, April 4, 2022

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Indian Ambassador to Nepal, was today named as the new Foreign Secretary.

An Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1988 batch, he will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla (IFS:1984), who will superannuate on April 30.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra (IFS: 1988), Ambassador in Kathmandu to the post of Foreign Secretary upon superannuation of Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla (IFS: 1984) on 30.04.2022," a notification from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) said.

Before taking up his assignment as Ambassador to Nepal in March 2020, Kwatra had served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020.

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. During this period, he also obtained a diploma in International Relations from the Graduate School of International Studies in Geneva.

Between 1993 and 2003, he served as Desk Officer at Headquarters dealing with United Nations, and subsequently in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan. Between 2003 and 2006, he served as Counsellor and later as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China. From 2006 to 2010, he represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy and Finance Bureau.

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

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 Ministry where he dealt with India’s relations with the United States and Canada.

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

NNN