Seasoned diplomat Vikram Misri on Monday assumed charge as India’s Foreign Secretary, succeeding Mr Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

A 1989-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, Mr Misri, 59, has the unique distinction of serving as Private Secretary to three Prime Ministers: Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr Narendra Modi.

Apart from serving as India’s Ambassador to China where he played a key role in India-China talks after the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, Mr Misri has also been the country’s envoy to Spain and Myanmar.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Mr Misri on taking charge of his position. ”Congratulate Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri as he assumes his new responsibility today. Wish him a productive and successful tenure,” he wrote on X.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also extended its best wishes to Mr Misri, who was hitherto the Deputy National Security Advisor, for a successful tenure ahead.

“Shri Vikram Misri assumed charge as Foreign Secretary today. #TeamMEA extends a warm welcome to Foreign Secretary Misri and wishes him a successful tenure ahead,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal made by the MEA for appointing Mr Misri as the next Foreign Secretary on 28 June.

Born in Srinagar in 1964, Mr Misri received his early education in Gwalior. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Delhi University’s Hindu College and an MBA from Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur.

In his early career, Mr Misri worked at Indian embassies in Brussels and Tunis. He became India’s Ambassador to Spain in 2014 and to Myanmar in 2016. He has also held positions in several Indian diplomatic missions across Africa and North America.

Mr Misri will have to navigate the country’s foreign policy at a time when a resolution to the India-China military stand-off in eastern Ladakh is still not in sight. India’s relations with Pakistan have been frozen for almost a decade now due to instability in the neighbouring country and its continued support to cross-border terrorism.