KATHMANDU: Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra presented his credentials to President Bidya Devi Bhandari at a ceremony held at President’s Office, Sheetal Niwas, on Thursday.
Ambassador Kwatra, who arrived in Nepal on March 1, is the 25th Ambassador of India to Nepal. He succeeded Manjeev Singh Puri, whose term ended in December-end.
Prior to this, Kwarta served as an Ambassador of India to France.
He has also served as a joint secretary at the office of the Prime Minister of India.
Ambassador Kwatra is a member of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) with an experience of over 30 years in a range of assignments.
He is also a diploma holder in international relations. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988.
He speaks French fluently and has a working knowledge of the Russian language. Unlike many other IFS officers, he speaks fluent Hindi.
As a diplomat, Kwatra’s first assignment was in Geneva. During his tenure there, he dealt with UN organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), among others.
From Geneva, he was posted to the Consulate in Durban, South Africa where he was mainly responsible for commercial and economic works. Later, he was posted to China as Deputy Chief of Mission to the Indian Embassy, where he handled trade and commerce.
Meanwhile, at the Indian Embassy in Tashkent, Kwatra served in its political and economic wing.
He has also served as Director at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), dealing with India’s relations with Iran and Afghanistan. He handled India’s development program in Afghanistan.
He has also served as the Director and Head of Economic, Trade and Finance issues at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
From May 2010 till 2013, Kwatra served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India in Washington.
As Kwatra is replacing Manjeev Sing Puri, his new assignment in Nepal is also expected to further strengthen Nepal-India ties.
He is married to Pooja, who has done her Master’s Degree in Business Administration and M. Phil. in Finance. They have two sons.
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