Deputy NSA and China Expert Vikram Misri Appointed as New Foreign Secretary

Veteran Diplomat to Succeed Vinay Mohan Kwatra on July 15

New Delhi , 28 June,2024: Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri, a distinguished China expert, has been appointed as India’s next Foreign Secretary, according to an official notification released on Friday. Misri, a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, will succeed Vinay Mohan Kwatra on July 15. Kwatra was granted a six-month extension in March this year.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet announced in its order that Deputy NSA Misri, currently serving in the National Security Council Secretariat, will assume the post of Foreign Secretary from July 15. Misri has been part of the National Security Council since January 2022.

Misri has the unique distinction of serving as private secretary to three prime ministers: Inder Kumar Gujral in 1997, Manmohan Singh in 2012, and Narendra Modi in 2014. As India’s ambassador to China (2019-2021), Misri played a pivotal role in maintaining diplomatic communications with the Chinese government during the military standoff in the eastern Ladakh sector in May 2020 and the Galwan clash, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

His previous diplomatic roles include serving as India’s ambassador to Spain (2014-2016) and Myanmar (2016-2018). Misri has also been the Consul General of India in Germany (2011-2012) and Deputy High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka (2008-2011). He served in Islamabad (2000-2003), where he briefly led the mission after the expulsion of senior officers by Pakistan. Misri’s earlier postings include Tunis (1993-1996), where he helped establish Tunisia’s first polo club, and Brussels (1991-1993), where he was a special assistant to the ambassador.

From 2003 to 2006, Misri was the counselor for congressional affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. During this period, he was closely involved in the landmark 2005 visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US and the subsequent discussions on the Indo-US nuclear legislation in the US Congress.

Born in 1964 in Srinagar, Misri completed his early education at the Scindia School in Gwalior. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Hindu College, University of Delhi, and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Reports suggest that India’s ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf, is expected to replace Misri in the National Security Council Secretariat. It is also anticipated that Kwatra will be appointed as India’s next ambassador to the United States, a position that has been vacant since the retirement of the previous ambassador, Taranjit Sandhu, in January.

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