Profile

Vinay Kwatra

Ambassador of India to the United States of America

H.E. Mr. Vinay Kwatra assumed charge as the Ambassador of India to the United States of America on 12 August 2024.

Ambassador Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988. In a career spanning over 36 years, Ambassador Kwatra has served in senior roles both in Delhi and across the globe. Most recently, he served as India’s Foreign Secretary from May 2022 to July 2024. Prior to that, he served as Ambassador of India to Nepal from March 2020 to April 2022, and Ambassador of India to France and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO from August 2017 to February 2020.

This is Ambassador Kwatra’s second stint in Washington DC: from May 2010 to July 2013, he served as the head of the Commercial Wing of the Embassy. His previous foreign assignments include the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu as Director/ Joint Secretary (2006-2010), in Beijing as the Deputy Chief of Mission (2003-2006), and in several other roles spanning Tashkent, Durban, Karachi, and Geneva.

At headquarters, Ambassador Kwatra has served as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (2015-2017), and has headed several divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs, including Americas, Public  Policy and Research, and Counter Terrorism Divisions.

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