A file photo of former Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. File.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Monday (August 12, 2024) took charge as the Indian ambassador to the United States.

Mr. Kwatra, 61, till recently was India’s Foreign Secretary.

He succeeds Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who retired from the foreign service early this year and served as India’s top diplomat in the U.S. from 2020 to 2024.

“Delighted to welcome Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new Ambassador of India to the United States of America. All of us (at the Indian Embassy) are excited to work under his leadership,” Charge D’Affaires Sripriya Ranganathan said in a post on X.

A group of eminent Indian Americans from the Greater Washington DC area had gathered at the Dulles International Airport to welcome the new Indian Ambassador. However, they could not meet him.

Mr. Kwatra, who previously served as Minister of Commerce in the Indian Embassy here is expected to present his credentials to the US President Joe Biden shortly.

He was also India’s Ambassador to France and Nepal, after which he was appointed as the foreign secretary.

He retired from the foreign service on July 14.

Washington:

Vinay Mohan Kwatra took charge on Monday as Indian ambassador to the US.

“Privileged to assume charge as the Ambassador of India to the United States of America. Team @IndianEmbassyUS will continue to work intensely to strengthen this crucial partnership,” he wrote in a post on X.

Kwatra is the former Foreign Secretary and succeeds Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

In his last posting here, Kwatra was the Minister of Commerce in the Indian Embassy.

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