Indian diplomat honoured by Cyprus

Amitav Banerji, an Indian diplomat in the UK has been conferred with one of the highest awards of Cyprus for his work in a number of senior roles within the Commonwealth Secretariat for over two decades.
Banerji, 63, was presented with his Commander of the Order of Merit at a ceremony at the Cyprus High Commission here last night.
"If one was to take a poll amongst diplomats who have dealt with the Commonwealth in the last 25 years, in naming a single person from officials in the Secretariat that has made an impact in the Organisation, my guess would be that Amitav's name would rank very high on the pecking order if not at the peak," said Cyprus foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides.

"Amitav represents the true embodiment of the Commonwealth values and principles, which he strived to promote and safeguard in our respective countries for 25 years," he said.
"I cannot think of anyone more fitting to receive the award of the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Cyprus than Amitav Banerji," he added.
Born in 1953, Banerji graduated from Georgetown University and went on to do his Masters from the Delhi School of Economics.
He joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1975 and served in different capacities for 15 years, including postings to Pakistan, Spain and Malaysia.

From August 1990 to May 2015, he served in a series of roles at the Commonwealth Secretariat including Head of the Secretary General's Office and towards the last six years as Political Director.