Vinay Mohan Kwatra appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday appointed Vinay Mohan Kwatra as India's next ambassador to Nepal.

The diplomat is presently serving as India's ambassador to France. He will be replacing Manjeev Singh Puri, the current Indian ambassador to Nepal.

He has served as Third Secretary and then Second Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva until 1993.

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

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

He represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy, and Finance Bureau from 2006 to 2010.

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

Between July 2013 and October 2015, Kwatra headed the Policy Planning and 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.

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

Belonging to the IFS batch of 1988, Kwatra is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the Ministry added.